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 ...

Is this a dandelion? That was the first question that came to mind when I saw its bright yellow flower. From above, the flower can easily remind us of a dandelion. But when I followed the flower stalk down and looked closely at the leaves, I had to think again. The leaves were arranged in a low rosette. Their surfaces looked rough, and small, stiff hairs were easy to see. The flower also looked slightly different from a dandelion when viewed closely. This was lesser hawkbit ( Leontodon saxatilis ), another ordinary-looking wild plant that has become a useful ingredient in my kitchen. Lesser hawkbit (Leontodon saxatilis) can resemble a dandelion at first,  but the rough, hairy basal leaves invite a closer look. A Useful Wild Food in My Imperfect Mountain Yard My health has not always been good, and I live in the mountains where we do not have a perfectly maintained lawn or a carefully landscaped yard. What we do have is unsprayed land where many familiar wild plants grow naturally. ...

Fresh fall mugwort in my hand. Even in fall, finding these familiar green and silvery leaves in Washington makes me happy. Mugwort is one of those plants that feels deeply personal to me. In Korea, mugwort is called ssuk (쑥) , and many Koreans have strong memories connected to it—especially spring mugwort. Spring mugwort is tender, fragrant, and widely loved. People often use it in pancakes, soups, rice cakes, and many seasonal dishes. But I live here in Washington State now, far from Korea, and that changes how I look at things. Even if fall mugwort is not as soft or as aromatic as spring mugwort, I still feel happy whenever I find it. If it carries even a little of that familiar mugwort scent, it already feels special to me. Recently, I noticed fresh, soft mugwort leaves appearing here and there as summer was fading into fall. That made me want to film a closer look at this plant—its front, back, shape, texture, and the way it changes as the season moves forward. What Fall Mugwo...

I Did Not Even Know Fireweed Existed Until recently, I did not even know that fireweed existed. I first heard the name while watching one of my favorite foraging YouTubers. In the video, several foragers were walking through the forest together looking for mushrooms. Along the way, someone stopped to harvest a tall plant with narrow leaves and pink flowers. “Fireweed,” they called it. They also mentioned that fireweed could be sold alongside wild mushrooms. That detail caught my attention, so I visited the forager’s online shop. Sure enough, fireweed was really listed there. From that moment, I became curious. What was this plant? Why were people harvesting it? How could it be used? And most importantly, could it possibly grow here in the Pacific Northwest near my own home? I began reading and watching everything I could find. The more photographs I saw, the more familiar the plant looked. Then one thought stopped me: Wait a minute. Don’t I see this along our mountain road? The plant I...