kudzu flower beauty

photo by kristen bach

kudzu blossom sorbet

i have been having so much fun experimenting with kudzu. this kudzu recipe was by far my favorite things that I made. the color is magical and the sweet floral and grape essence is lovely.  but really.... the bright magenta color won my heart right away!  have fun!

Kudzu sorbet
2 cups of kudzu flowers
2 1/2 cup water,cool
the Simple syrup:
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
juice from 2 lemons

-soak kudzu flowers the cool 2 1/2 cup water, in a non reactive bowl
-put a plate on top of flowers to act as a weight and soak overnight
-strain the kudzu water through cheese cloth or a coffee filter to sift out any impurities
-make the simple syrup by heating up the water
-remove from heat and add the sugar
-stir until sugar is dissolved
-cool for 15 minutes and add lemon juice
-cool until room temp and add the kudzu water
-combine and pour into a non reactive container and put in the freezer
-check every few hours and break up the sorbet
-when frozen, place in a blender to create the sorbet consistency and put back in the freezer to chill
-enjoy!!

photos and recipe by kristen bach

little forager

photo by kristen bach

foraging chanterelles

this weekend we got to enjoy some fall-like days due to the hurricane working it's way through.  saturday we went out hiking and hunted for chanterelles.  on our hike we happened upon a hill, covered in golden chanterelles!  we cooked up a feast of them for dinner.

my favorite way to eat chanterelles is simple.  saute them in olive oil or butter and salt them.  simple is the way to go with these flavorful mushrooms!!

photos and words by kristen bach

a simple foraged meal

they say that the morel mushrooms growing season is when the dogwoods are in bloom.  with foraging, you really never know if you will find anything on your hunt.  this year we have had a few plentiful hunts and many days where we came home empty handed.  it really is the fun part about going out to hunt! 

the nice things about morels is that they really need very little preparation.  they are naturally so flavorful that a little oil or butter, salt and pepper is all they need!  we love to pair them with some spring peas and toss them over a bed of buttery noodles.  so good! 

we are still hoping that we may find another patch of morels on a spring hike in the next upcoming weeks as our dogwoods are still in full bloom!

photos and words by kristen bach

Pasta with morels and field peas

When the dogwoods start to bloom it marks morel season.  The other day we went out and foraged a bag full of Morels.  Nothing brings in spring like lovely blooms and freshly found mushrooms.

We made a nice spring pasta with the morels and some field peas. 

ingredients 

pasta field peas 

leeks or spring onions

morels

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste 

directions 

-saute the vegetables

-add to cooked pasta 

-add a shaved parmesan cheese  

A simple meal indeed!!

photos and recipe by Kristen Bach