This Week's Woodland Grocery Specials

 Nettles are starting to poke up. At this stage they are often very colorful. And always very tasty. Harvesting takes a bit of practice, and everyone has their own technique. But they are definitely worth the effort. Try steaming them lightly and adding them to a panini.   There are many different members of the mustard family that sprout early in spring, or even remain green over winter when it is mild. All mustards are edible, so this is a good Family of plants to become familiar with. In addition to the leaves, many have edible flowers, seeds, or roots. Mustards that are too pungent to eat directly make excellent seasoning.    Garlic mustard sprouts are easily my favorite sprout. They have that "sprout" crunchy-juiciness along with a nice kick. If you are in an area that has garlic mustard and you see dense mats of bright green sprouts, pick some and smell them. Once you smell them, there is no doubt. Throw some on your panini with the steamed nettles.  Another wonderful spring green for sandwhiches and salads is wild onion. Although they don't dry well on their own, onion greens can be dried in the dehydrator. And the house will smell delicious.  The dried greens can be used year round for seasoning and to add color to food. We like them in mashed potatoes and on garlic bread.   Wind damaged trees are also in season this week. If you haven't already gotten your firewood after last week's storms...what are you waiting for? But there is so much more to harvest. Trees that are down and limbs that are broken but still alive, the ones that are going to die but are still hanging on, are good sources for fresh bark. Some trees brought nice masses of roots up out of the ground as they tipped. The sooner this is harvested, the better. And trees that were alive when they fell can be used for mushroom logs if you can get the spawn in within the next couple of weeks.Check out our Events Calendar and learn more about foraging in Michigan.