The Fruit Forager's Companion
Ferments, Desserts, Main Dishes, and More from Your Neighborhood and Beyond
by Sara Bir
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Pub Date May 15 2018 | Archive Date May 01 2018
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Description
Half of the fruit that grows in yards and public spaces is never picked or eaten. Citrus trees are burdened with misshapen lemons, berries grow in tangled thickets on the roadside, and the crooked rows of abandoned orchards fill with fallen apples. At the same time, people yearn for an emotional connection that’s lacking in bland grocery store bananas and tasteless melons.
The Fruit Forager’s Companion is a how-to guide with nearly 100 recipes devoted to the secret, sweet bounty just outside our front doors and ripe for the taking, from familiar apples and oranges to lesser-known pawpaws and mayhaws. Sara Bir—a seasoned chef, gardener, and forager—primes readers on foraging basics and demonstrates gathering and growing techniques. Bir presents a suite of recipes including Meyer lemon kimchi, habanero crabapple jelly, pawpaw lemon curd, and fermented cranberry relish.
While foraging is a recent cultural phenomenon, it has been practiced since before written history. Bir reconnects readers with their lost culinary heritage and wild abundance. Once the foraging mindset takes control, a new culinary world hiding in plain sight reveals itself. Written in a witty and welcoming style, The Fruit Forager’s Companion is a must-have for seekers of both flavor and fun.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781603587167 |
| PRICE | $29.95 (USD) |
Links
Featured Reviews
Clare O, Media/Journalist
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39299133-the-fruit-forager-s-companion
This gorgeous culinary nature guide should find a place on the shelves or Kindles of anyone who enjoys cooking fruit. The author tells us how she walks and forages, mentally mapping out the locations of likely harvests and returning later to take advantage. Whether garden apple trees that are under-utilised, or wild berries (like the eponymous huckleberry of Huckleberry Finn) or pick your own raspberries, the fruit picker has the choice crop and it's free or cheap.
Look forward to the luscious recipes in the book, like buckwheat huckleberry buckle, with colourful photos of preserves and pies to accompany the illustrations; and photos of the growing fruits in situ. After all, you need to be sure what you are picking. A few toxic relatives - like nightshade - are shown so you can tell them apart. And we get a warning to watch out for thorns and poison oak.
The book is set in North America, where folks are lucky enough to have grapes growing wild, paw paws and lemons fruiting in random parks and bogs with cranberries and blueberries. Then there are odder natives like mahonias and mayhaws. If you have not explored your neighbourhood, maybe it's time you did. The history and notable uses of the trees and shrubs - gooseberries or elder, say - are listed, so you can get to know the plant. I found every page a delight, with informative but accessible language and enough detail for the botanist. The photos are an inspiration, whether to plant some shrubs in your garden or to cook and store the crops.
Some useful tools for picking - minimal - and cooking are listed at the start. Some useful resources are placed at the end, such as websites, books and a Youtube vlogger who eats the weeds. The whole is a delight.
I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley, which means I now have to go and buy my own copy. This is an unbiased review.
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