Bellagio to Brooklyn

Eight days ago I was in Bellagio, Italy with Ricky.

Now I’m back in Brooklyn and full steam ahead with my summer schedule of foraging tours, classes, writing, and other busy-ness.

But first, a couple of pics from my holiday:

I came home to an overwhelmingly overgrown - I mean lush - garden. It’s been rainy this past week, so I haven’t gotten much work done out there. The elderberries are already in bloom. Time to make elder flower syrup and “champagne“!

I did dodge the raindrops long enough to pick some juneberries (mayberries?), nettles and radishes.

A trip to the Park Slope Food Coop had me grinning because there were lamb’s quarters for sale and I’d just picked a ton for free.

I also collected lots of burdock “cardoons,” one of my favorite wild edibles.

Tonight I’ve got guests coming over and I’m going to make bean burgers with lamb’s quarters (my guests are vegetarian), champ (mashed potatoes with nettles), and a Moroccan-style carrot salad with preserved lemons. For dessert, I’ve still got some of that Japanese knotweed-strawberry sorbet in the freezer, but this time I’ll top it with freshly picked juneberries.

Here’s to abundant harvests…and awesome vacations!

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