Wild Harvest Life - Winter Family in PNW

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. ...

  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...

A Mountain Walk After Strange Weather My husband and I usually go mushroom hunting in the fall and winter. But this year, the weather has felt very different from what we remember. It became unusually hot for a while, and then recently, after almost a full week of rain, the temperature suddenly dropped again. So we looked at each other and thought, “Maybe we should go check the mountains.” The first mountain area we visited was over 4,300 feet in elevation. There, we found coral mushrooms — a beautiful surprise after the rain. But that was not the only thing we saw. Among the green plants on the mountain, I noticed a tall wild plant with long narrow leaves. At first, I was not completely sure what it was, so I did not harvest it. I only took photos and came back home. Later, when I looked more closely, I realized it was Fireweed . Fireweed ’s scientific name is Chamaenerion angustifolium . It is also known by older botanical names such as Chamerion angustifolium or Epilobium angustifo...

  A wild Coral mushroom growing on the forest floor in Washington State, reminding me of Korean Ssari beoseot. There are many wild mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest, but every once in a while, I find one that immediately brings back Korean food memories. This coral-shaped mushroom is one of them. In Korea, mushrooms like this are often called ssari beoseot . There are several kinds of ssari mushrooms commonly known in Korea, and among them, one of my personal favorites is the type often called cham ssari or sometimes songi ssari . Here in the United States, many people simply know mushrooms with this branching shape as coral mushrooms because they look like little pieces of ocean coral growing on the forest floor. Finding this kind of mushroom in the mountains of Washington State always surprises me a little, even though I know by now that many familiar Korean food memories can also be found here in the Pacific Northwest. A Korean Mushroom Memory Growing in America When I first ...

Tiny red huckleberries growing near our home in the Pacific Northwest. Tiny red huckleberries growing near our home in the Pacific Northwest. Some wild foods are not just food. Sometimes, they carry memories. Sometimes, they bring back people we loved. And sometimes, one tiny berry is enough to make us cry. I first came to the United States seventeen years ago, in 2009. After marrying my husband, I moved into a mountain area in Washington State. We lived in a quiet place surrounded by forests, mountain roads, rivers, and wild plants. It was beautiful, but in the beginning, it was also lonely. There were not many Korean people around me. Most of the people I met were American, and everything felt new — the language, the food, the culture, the lifestyle, and even the way people enjoyed the mountains. I often wondered, Can I really live well here? Then, around July of that first year, I became close with an older couple. They were among my first American friends. Over time, they became mu...

This patch of young Canada goldenrod caught my eye while I was out fishing for shad in Washington State. When a Fishing Trip Turned Into a Foraging Discovery I did not go out looking for Canada goldenrod that day. I was out fishing for shad in Washington State when I noticed a patch of green wild plants growing nearby. At first glance, I thought it might be fleabane or another common wild plant. But when I walked closer, the leaves made me pause. They looked different. The shape of the leaves, the way they grew along the stem, and the overall feeling of the plant did not seem quite like what I first imagined. So I stopped and thought, “Wait… what is this?” Whenever I meet a new wild plant, I try not to rush. I took photos from different angles — the leaves, stems, growing habit, and the whole plant. Then I asked someone with more plant knowledge, checked a plant identification app, and continued researching carefully. The name that kept coming up was Canada goldenrod , also known by it...