“As an older, male food blogger, I’m an anomaly,” Brett Laidlaw acknowledges.
As a result, he says, his blog and recently published book, both titled Trout Caviar, may be more “testosterony” than most. While his blog readers appear to be “more female and not so young,” his book-signing appearances have attracted an audience “across many demographic lines,” he says.
The varied audience probably reflects Laidlaw’s wide range of food-related interests. Laidlaw is a locavore in the most essential sense of the word: He shops farmers’ markets and neighbors’ specialty honeys and cheeses, of course (his blogspot includes a list of local food links). But he also tromps the woods, meadows, and streams of Dunn County, Wisconsin looking for everything from wild greens to grouse to the fish eggs that gave his blog its name. Plus, the subtitle of his book is “Recipes from a Northern Forager.”
The blog is short on “recipes,” in the classic sense, but clearly describes processes that do-it-yourselfers can adopt for themselves.
A mixed-green pesto, for example, begins with Laidlaw “foraging” in his St. Paul garden: “…while I was wending my way through renegade squash vines, I spied some neglected carrots, and grabbed a few sprigs of the freshest green tops to add to my pesto. I also pinched off a few tomato leaves, which are indeed edible, and bring that appetizing savory quality. I also came across some rather sad, underachieving fennel plants that I planted mid-summer. No bulbs to speak of, but I was able to glean a few feathery, anise-scented fronds. Add some sorrel, and a handful of chives. I think that’s all of it. Rosemary and tarragon I avoid—they’d be too assertive in the mix; well, maybe just a little of each, but be careful.”
Next, he says, “Rinse and spin, jam it all in the FP [food processor]. I added also the juice of one-quarter lemon and a couple good pinches of salt, then about a quarter-cup of olive oil to start. Start blending, and add more olive oil as needed to make the emulsion. This herb base can be amended later with cheese, garlic, nuts, or used as is.”
As this pesto example shows, “foraging” doesn’t require a remote acreage. A suburban background—“if it’s chemical-free, and that’s a big ‘if,’” Laidlaw says—can yield dandelion greens, purslane, wood sorrel—“It has a lemony flavor,” says Laidlaw—and lamb’s quarters. “When they’re young and tender, they’re a delectable salad green or they can be cooked like spinach,” Laidlaw says. In addition, he notes, Lake Minnetonka is a “huge wild fish factory.”
Surprisingly, Laidlaw is quick to note that he is not a particularly adventurous eater, and his first rule for new foragers is “No experimentation.” That’s obviously true with things like wild mushrooms, but, Laidlaw says, “Even with leafy greens and berries, they’re not likely to kill you but a mistake could make you reluctant to try it again.” Even if you’re absolutely sure that you’ve identified your wild food correctly, Laidlaw says, “don’t eat a pound of it. Let it settle and see how it agrees with you.”
The same cautious approach is best for do-it-yourself experiments, Laidlaw says. “Don’t try a vast amount, and don’t try complicated recipes.”
Home-style fermentation, for example, can begin with a small batch of sauerkraut.As Laidlaw wrote in a blog post from last August: “The basic formula is 2 teaspoons of salt to a pound of vegetables. You don’t need a crock to make fermented vegetables, either. A gallon glass jar will do, or a wide-mouth quart if you want to start small. Just about any good, fresh vegetables can be fermented this way.” Put a weight on top and a plate underneath to catch the drippings. Stow the jar away in a cool, dark place for a few days. Taste-test to see when it’s tangy enough, then refrigerate to stop the fermentation.
“Not everyone is going to like fermentation,” Laidlaw says. “It’s strong-flavored food.” On the other hand, he says, “Smoking your own bacon could change people’s lives. We’re never without it in our house.” No special equipment is needed, Laidlaw says—he uses his barbecue grill—and homemade bacon is chemical-free. Laidlaw cuts his batches into half-pound chunks and freezes them, using small portions to enhance flavor. Homemade bacon, he says, is a way to make “luxurious food from humble ingredients.” The recipe is included in the chapter of Trout Caviar (the book) entitled “The Importance of Bacon.”
With bacon, venison, and cheese high on his list of favorites, Laidlaw makes “no specific claim of health benefits” for his approach to eating, beyond the fact that it encourages an active lifestyle. “You get the physical health benefits of hiking the woods, wading trout streams and walking fields with a dog,” he says. “There’s a great deal of stress reduction. I would go nuts without time out of doors.”
Trout Caviar, the blog, can be found at: troutcaviar.blogspot.com. Trout Caviar: Recipes from a Northern Forager, is available from the publisher, Minnesota Historical Society Press, on Amazon.com, or through your local independent bookstore (find a list at www.indiebound.org).
Laura French is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer and frequent contributor to Dockside Minnesota.
