Wild Harvest Life - Winter Family in PNW

There are some wild plants that I notice only after they flower. Western Canada goldenrod is different. The same Western Canada goldenrod changes dramatically from green buds to yellow flowers and finally to fall seed heads. By the time its brilliant yellow flowers appear in late summer, I have already been watching the same plants for months. In spring, they are simply green shoots growing among ferns, shrubs, and other plants around me here in Washington State. Without the yellow flowers, they are surprisingly easy to overlook. But I know this patch. And one of the things I enjoy most about the young spring growth is its aroma. When the shoots are still tender and I am completely certain of the plant I am harvesting, I sometimes cook the young growth Korean-style as namul . The fragrance is what makes it memorable for me. Then the season moves forward. The stems become taller. Tiny green flower buds appear. And suddenly, the plant that blended into all the surrounding gree...

Wild bracken fern harvested in Washington became gosari namul and a comforting bowl of Korean bibimbap. I have loved gosari for as long as I can remember—probably since I was old enough to chew it. Gosari is the Korean name commonly used for prepared young bracken fern. Its flavor is mild, but its pleasantly firm and chewy texture is unlike most other vegetables. Sometimes it almost feels as if I am chewing a very tender piece of meat. That texture is exactly why I have always loved it. In Korea, gosari appears in many familiar dishes. It is one of the classic vegetables used in bibimbap, and it is an essential ingredient in yukgaejang, a spicy Korean beef soup. A similar soup made with chicken is called dakgaejang. I also enjoy adding gosari to japchae and other dishes at home, even when it is not part of the most standard recipe. If I have prepared gosari available, I can usually find a place for it. Today, I am sharing how I turn the wild bracken fern I harvested in Washington into ...

Does this tiny wildflower look like a fried egg to you? Its bright yellow center is surrounded by dozens of fine white rays. The flowers are much smaller than oxeye daisies, and instead of producing only one large flower, the plant opens many little flower heads on branching stems. In Korea, this familiar-looking wildflower is called gaemangcho (개망초) . The plant I identified and harvested is daisy fleabane, Erigeron annuus . Tiny white-and-yellow daisy fleabane flowers blooming among the ferns in July. A Wild Green I Walked Past for Years I love Korean mountain vegetables, or san-namul . In Korean, namul can refer both to edible greens and to the seasoned dish made by blanching or cooking those greens. San-namul literally means “mountain greens” and usually refers to wild edible shoots and leaves traditionally gathered from mountains and fields. For many years, I gathered and ate familiar wild greens such as bracken fern and dandelion. Daisy fleabane grew nearby too, but it was ...

Young prickly lettuce leaves are most tender before the tall flower stalk develops. By the end of July, prickly lettuce looks very different from the tender green I gathered throughout spring. Most of the plants around me have now grown tall. Small yellow flowers are beginning to open, and some plants are already moving toward seed production. Once a wild green reaches this stage, I usually consider its best harvesting season to be over. The mature leaves are tougher, more prickly, and much more bitter. But wild plants never follow one perfect schedule. They do not all emerge on the same day, grow at the same speed, flower together, and disappear together. Even in midsummer, I sometimes find a younger plant or tender new growth close to the ground. That is why I look at the actual condition of each plant rather than relying only on the calendar. Throughout spring, prickly lettuce was not merely a weed I noticed while walking. It became one of the fresh seasonal vegetables I regul...

  Before the purple flowers appear, the buds are already surrounded by sharp protective spines. At first glance, this beautiful purple flower may look soft and inviting. But look a little closer. The flower head, leaves, and stem are all protected by sharp spines. This is Bull Thistle , also called Spear Thistle ( Cirsium vulgare ). There are many different kinds of thistles growing around us. Some are native plants, while others were introduced from different parts of the world. Certain species are also classified as invasive or noxious weeds in some states. Today, I would like to introduce Bull Thistle—and share why thistles bring back such strong memories of my first vegetable garden in America. My First Vegetable Garden in the American Mountains Seventeen years ago, I moved from Korea to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest after marrying my American husband. That was when I tried growing a vegetable garden for the first time in my life. I was excited to grow my own...