Grazing on Local Beauty: Cooking from the Forest

By Chef Quintin Eason
Published on August 9, 2016
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Photo courtesy www.RareSeeds.com
Don't miss this recipe for roasted chanterelles with wild greens and toasted black walnuts.

When you think of local food, most people recall a picture of the restaurant down the street or a vendor who stresses on the local economy. Though considered wild in some circles, those culinary genres fall a bit short of the new foodie movement. Take for instance the Homesteading Movement: a growing number of Americans are migrating to the extreme rural areas across the States. No septic tanks, no ESPN, and a two hour window of whatever electricity can be generated in solar/wind power. These homesteaders forage for native food, grow their own grub and perfect animal husbandry. We met several of these vintage homesteaders at our National Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa, Ca. I admire the simplistic approach they have to sustainability.  They are not bound by the clock, the banking cartel or the common social epicenter of our corrupted culture.

 Just watch the news for 10 minutes and count how many negative or uninspiring stories you see. We stay “glued to the tube,” as my mom would say, and find pleasure in the suffering of others. Most people I know are fed up and taking matters into their own hands. We are free and should act on that freedom.

This is why our fight against GMO’s is so crucial. The powerhouses continue to stick their nose in our very sustenance, the food that we grow and eat. If this mob of food high-jackers had their way, they would charge us to grow our own food. These ag lobbyists continue to plant the seeds of destruction to our food supply chain. We still have not calculated the collateral damage of this boondoggle. But there are those of us who see through this charade. Heritage is in our seeds passed down from the generations. Like Dad’s family ring, they symbolize our rustic strength to overcome adversity.

We have an affinity to survive and improve.  It’s within our innate character to cultivate the soil. Much of what we grow in the garden is also available in the wild and thrives in our great forests. I’ve selected a favorite mushroom of mine from this garden wild, and am pleased to share this recipe for a Roasted Chanterelles Salad with the Heirloom Gardener readers.



Quintin Eason is a Le Cordon Blu trained chef with a background in sustainable agriculture, gardening and creative business marketing.

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