Wild Foods of the Desert
()
About this ebook
Local eating at its most natural. This book was written in hopes of unveiling one of America's best kept secrets - delicacies of the desert. The high and low desert areas of the southwestern United States provide a cornucopia of solid foods ranging from succulent fruits to rich nuts; spicy seasonings to exotic meats, juicy berries to tangy vegetables.
Darcy Williamson
I am an award-winning author of more than twenty-three books, a Rocky Mountain herbalist, and naturalist. As an independent business woman I own From The Forest, an herbal business that specialized in apprentice training as well as seminars and educational programs. My hobbies include hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, and gardening ~ enjoying the great outdoor opportunities provided by my central Idaho setting. Aside from my eBooks, I currently have three books published by Caxton Printers, Ltd., (Basque Cooking and Lore; River Tales of Idaho and The Rocky Mountain Wild Foods Cookbook) plus two recently published titles, Healing Plants of the Rocky Mountains and McCall's Historic Shore Lodge.
Read more from Darcy Williamson
Mountain Men of Idaho Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Cooking With Spirit, North American Indian Food and Fact Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMedicinal Plants of the Northwest 130 Monographs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsZakuska ~ Russia's Little Bites Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFabulous Wild Fungi ~ Wildly Creative Cuisine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Care and Feeding of James Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSisters of a Different Dawn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Wild Foods of the Desert
Related ebooks
The Alaska Wild Berry Cookbook: Homestyle Recipes from the Far North, Revised Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSearching for Crazy Horse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForaging for the Rest of Us: A Pre-field Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bison Hunters: The Paleo-Indian Series: Folsom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHimdag Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Introduction to Cajun Spirituality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCentral New York & The Finger Lakes: Myths, Legends & Lore Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLake Superior Profiles: People on the Big Lake Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdirondack Cookbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRuby Mountains Visitor Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCoastal Nature, Coastal Culture: Environmental Histories of the Georgia Coast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEating the Pacific Northwest: Rediscovering Regional American Flavors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWestern Abenaki dictionary: Volume 2: English-Abenaki Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCamp Cookery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGERONIMO LIVE! And Other Florida Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNative Harvests: American Indian Wild Foods and Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Maps That Change Florida's History: Revisiting the Ponce de León and Narváez Settlement Expeditions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Night Chant: A Navaho Ceremony Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEating Appalachia: Rediscovering Regional American Flavors Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lava Beds National Monument Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMore Cajun Humor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBehind the Bears Ears: Exploring the Cultural and Natural Histories of a Sacred Landscape Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEastern Sevier County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeep Hanging Out: Wanderings and Wonderment in Native California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Red One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAcorns & Cattails: A Modern Foraging Cookbook of Forest, Farm & Field Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quail in My Garden: Book One of Adventures in My Garden Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lord's Bounty: Forest Foraging in the the Gulf Coast States Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Cooking, Food & Wine For You
Back to Eden Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg's Kitchen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quick Start Guide to Carnivory + 21 Day Carnivore Diet Meal Plan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Medicinal Herbal: A Practical Guide to the Healing Properties of Herbs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mediterranean Diet: 70 Easy, Healthy Recipes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSnoop Presents Goon with the Spoon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The How Not to Diet Cookbook: 100+ Recipes for Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eat Plants, B*tch: 91 Vegan Recipes That Will Blow Your Meat-Loving Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Carnivore Code Cookbook: Reclaim Your Health, Strength, and Vitality with 100+ Delicious Recipes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJoy of Cooking: Fully Revised and Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cook Once Dinner Fix: Quick and Exciting Ways to Transform Tonight's Dinner into Tomorrow's Feast Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Everything Macro Diet Cookbook: 300 Satisfying Recipes for Shedding Pounds and Gaining Lean Muscle Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Taste of Home 201 Recipes You'll Make Forever: Classic Recipes for Today's Home Cooks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Taste of Home Instant Pot Cookbook: Savor 111 Must-have Recipes Made Easy in the Instant Pot Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Homegrown & Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Small Apartment Hacks: 101 Ingenious DIY Solutions for Living, Organizing and Entertaining Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Prairie Homestead Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Heritage Cooking in Any Kitchen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Wild Foods of the Desert
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Wild Foods of the Desert - Darcy Williamson
WILD FOOD OF THE DESERT
by
Darcy Williamson
PUBLISHED BY:
Darcy Williamson on Smashwords
Wild Foods of the Desert
Copyright © 2010 by Darcy Williamson
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
ISBN 0984313621
CONTENTS
Chapters
1. Acorn - From Braised Venison Heart with Acorn Stuffing to Acorn Spice Cake
2. Agave - From Campsite Agave-Chorizo Soup to Tequila-Agave Slush
3. Arizona Walnut - From Wild Fowl Walnut Dressing to Arizona Walnut Coffee Soufflé
4. Barrel Cactus - From Barrel Bud Soup to Sweet Pickled Barrel Cactus
5. Cholla - From Lamb with Cholla Kabobs to Cream of Cholla Soup
6. Desert Hackberry - From Quartzsite Chili Beans to Spiced Hackberry Wine
7. Jojoba - From Desert Wanderer's Stew to Jojoba-Date Pudding
8. Juniper - From French Veal Stew to Juniper Marinade for Wild Game
9. Mesquite - From Dutch Oven Quail with Mesquite Dumplings to Apple Mesquite Fritter
10. Ocotillo - From Desert Fruit Soup to Ocotillo-Coconut Punch
11. Pinyon - From Savory Pinyon Stuffing for Sage Hen to Pinyon Oasis Pie
12. Prickly Pear - From Nopalitos - Chicken Chili to Prickly Pear Jam
13. Saguaro - From Sultan’s Soup to Sonora Daiquiri
14. Texas Mulberry - From Mulberry Spanish Cream to Texas Mulberry Muffins
15. Tumbleweed - From Tumbleweed-Sausage and Lentil Stew to Tumbleweed with Thyme
16. Yucca - From Yucca-Date-Nut Bread to Yucca Flower Preserves
17. Desert Fowl - From Breast of Dove with Pistachio Sauce to Sage Hen with Spicy Sausage
Stuffing
18. Desert Game - From Will Wilkinson Pecos River Camp Stew to Sweet 'n Sour Cottontail
Selected References
Index
INTRODUCTION
This book was written in hopes of unveiling one of America's best kept secrets - delicacies of the desert. The high and low desert areas of the southwestern United States provide a cornucopia of solid foods ranging from succulent fruits to rich nuts; spicy seasonings to exotic meats, juicy berries to tangy vegetables.
For the hunter, backpacker or camper, these foods offer a welcomed addition to the camp menu. Once the outdoors-man becomes familiar with desert foods and their seasonal availability he can plan his provisions accordingly. The backpacker can lighten his load in anticipation of supplementing his diet with foods gathered along the trail. Each following chapter contains a section for the outdoors-man, providing simple methods of preparing wild desert plants and game out-of-doors.
But, desert foods shouldn't be limited to use in the field! Their unique flavors and textures lend themselves to gourmet cooking as well. Wild foods from the desert can open a whole new dimension in food preparation and entertaining. Juniper berries, Pinyon nuts, acorn meal, pickled nopalitos and prickly pear jelly are a few of the wild desert foods which hold prominent positions on the shelves of specialty and gourmet shops. These same high priced delicacies are abundant in their natural habitat. The following chapters provide hundreds of rarely seen recipes offering the homemaker and gourmet cook a galaxy of fresh ideas for using desert foods.
It is important that the desert harvester realize that a few food plants may not be dug or removed from the desert floor without a permit or written permission from the landowner. Any protected plants are described as such in the following chapters. These plants do provide edible buds, flowers, and fruits which may be gathered without a permit.
CHAPTER 1 ACORN
ACORN: The fruit of various oak trees including Quercus gambelii and other related species.
Oaks, which range from shrubs to large trees, have single leaves which grow alternately on the limbs. In winter the twigs ordinarily bear clusters of small buds at their tips. In spring the oak sends forth pollen producing flowers in the form of drooping catkins.
Oaks are divided into two subgroups – red (or black) oaks and white oaks. Red oak leaves have bristles and its bark is usually dark and furrowed. Acorns of the red oaks do not mature until the finish of the second season. The shells of the acorn’s inner surface are coated with wooly fibers. White oaks typically have leaves with rounded lobes. The bark is grey and scaly. Acorns of the white oaks mature in one season. Their shell's inner surface is smooth.
Acorns consist of a smooth oval or round, thin-shelled nut. The cap is topped by a woody stem that attaches the acorn to the tree. All acorns are edible. The meats of the white acorn, however, have less tannin than the reds and are therefore sweeter in flavor. Acorns are rich in protein and fat.
Though acorns from the white oak group can be roasted and eaten as nuts, they are better if they are leached of their water-soluble tannin to remove any bitterness. The most valuable oaks, as a survival food source, is the Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) since its acorns are noted for their sweetness and can be eaten directly from the tree. Oaks are so ubiquitous; I have limited the mapped range to that of the Gambel Oak.
Gather acorns in July and August. Birds, deer and squirrels are eager to harvest the nuts also, so you may be in for some competition. As a means of survival, a search made near the base of oak trees often turns up a squirrel's cache. It's a dirty trick to rob a squirrel of its harvest and should only be done out of survival necessity. Gathered acorns should be shelled as soon as possible since many are infested with worm-like larvae that can spoil your stored harvest.
Acorns are eaten whole, pounded, or ground into meal, and added to soups, stews, breads, and griddle cakes. A good combination in baking is acorn meal mixed with an equal part of all purpose or whole wheat flour. Baked goods made with acorn meal are richly dark and have a pleasant nutty flavor.
RECIPES FOR THE BACKPACKER, CAMPER AND HUNTER
Acorn meal – shell acorns, and then pound or grind them into meal. If leaching is necessary, place meal in a cloth bag (a pillow case works well), tie end closed and submerge the bag in a creek or stream for one to three days. Knead the bag several times each day. The moving water will wash out the tannin and leave the meal sweet. Remove the bag from the water and allow the meal to dry in the sun. The meal may be pressed into cakes before drying to make transport or storage easier. Since the meal cakes upon drying, it will need to be pounded or ground before using.
If whole leached acorns are desired, place shelled nuts in a cloth bag and submerge in a stream for four to five days. Dry acorns in the sun.
As I have mentioned before, Gambel acorns may be eaten without leaching. They are exceptionally tasty when shelled, placed in a skillet, roasted over a slow fire, and then sprinkled with salt.
ACORN DROP BISCUITS
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup finely ground acorn meal
2 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup shortening or butter
½ cup milk (reconstituted, powdered or evaporated works well)
1 egg, beaten
Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Cut in shortening or butter using two knives or fingers. Beat together milk and egg; then add to flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are just dampened. Then stir briskly until mixture forms soft dough that clings to the sides of the bowl. Drop from a teaspoon onto greased skillet. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake slowly over hot coals for 20 to 30 minutes or until biscuits are done.
ACORN GRIDDLE CAKES (12 to 15 cakes)
2/3 cup finely ground acorn meal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg, well beaten
¾ cup milk (reconstituted, powdered or evaporated works well)
3 Tbsp. bacon drippings, butter or shortening, melted
Combine dry ingredients. Mix together egg and milk, and then beat into dry ingredients, forming a smooth batter. Add bacon drippings, butter or shortening. Mix well. Drop batter onto hot greased griddle. Bake, turning cakes when they are browned on the underside, puffed and slightly set on top.
WILD FOWL STEW WITH ACORN DUMPLINGS (4 to 5 servings)
3 quail, 2 grouse or 1 sage hen
4 pieces bacon, halved
1 quart water
1 onion, diced
2 tsp. salt
2 bay leaves
1 egg, beaten
2 potatoes, diced
1 can whole kernel corn, un-drained
¼ cup ground acorn meal
½ cup cold water
DUMPLINGS:
½ cup ground acorn meal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. oil
½ tsp. pepper
Cut birds into pieces. In Dutch oven or large kettle, cook bacon. Add birds and brown in drippings. Add water, onion, salt, bay and pepper. Cover and simmer 1 ½ hours. Add potatoes and corn and cook 30 minutes longer. Combine ¼ cup acorn meal with ½ cup water and stir into simmering stew
In bowl or pan combine dumpling ingredients and beat until smooth. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto simmering stew. Cover tightly and steam for 12 to 15 minutes.
ACORN SOUP (4 to 6 servings)
½ cup ground acorn meal
3 quarts boiling water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
1 medium onion chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. pepper
Combine ingredients in a kettle or Dutch oven and cook 35 minutes.
BRAISED VENISON HEART WITH ACORN STUFFING (2 servings)
1 venison heart
1 tsp. salt
1 cup soft bread crumbs
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup whole acorns, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 /2 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter or bacon drippings
½ cup water
To clean heart, split open half way down one side. Cut away arteries, top veins, and stringy fibers and dividing membranes. Wash well in water and drain.
Sprinkle inside of heart with salt. Combine crumbs with seasonings then add acorns, beaten egg, milk, onion, and drippings. Mix lightly and stuff into heart. Tie or sew heart opening. Place heart on square of heavy-duty aluminum foil, sprinkle with water and fold foil around heart, sealing edges well. Bake over hot coals for 2 hours or, place heart in Dutch oven, add ½ cup water, cover and simmer slowly for 2 ½ hours. Add more water if necessary.
RECIPES FOR THE HOMEWARD BOUND HARVESTER
Whole leached acorns or acorn meal - shell nuts and place in saucepan with water to cover. Bring to boiling. Change the water when it turns yellowish-brown (usually takes three to five changes). Dry acorns in slow over with door cracked. Acorns may now be eaten whole; ground into coarse bits as a substitute for nuts; or ground into a fine meal. If you don’t have a flour mill for grinding, use your blender.
ACORN BEER BREAD (2 loaves)
½ cup water
1 can (12 oz.) beer
3 Tbsp. safflower or peanut oil
3 Tbsp. honey
4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 ½ cups finely ground acorn meal
2 pkg. active dry yeast
½ tsp. salt
Combine water, beer, honey and oil in saucepan and heat to 120º F. Combine 1 cup flour, yeast, acorn meal and salt in large mixing bowl. Add beer mixture and beat 5 minutes with an electric mixer. Add remaining flour and mix well. Turn out on floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (approximately 10 minutes). Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk.
Punch dough down, divide in half and shape each into a loaf, place each in greased loaf pans, cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375º F. for 30 to 35 minutes.
ACORN BREAD (2 loaves)
6 Tbsp. cornmeal
½ cup cold water
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 pkg. active dry yeast
¼ cup lukewarm water
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 cups finely ground acorn meal
1 Tbsp. saguaro seeds (optional)
Mix cornmeal with cold water; add boiling water and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add salt and butter and cool to lukewarm. Soften yeast in lukewarm water. Add remaining ingredients to corn mixture