Paddle Meals: Foraged Feasts

June-July 2001

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Debbie Leach with Christine Koch

Stop paddling! Pull over to shore!" I remember this scenario from our 1988 trip to the Avalon Wilderness Area of Newfoundland as if it were yesterday. Christine scampered out of our canoe and gleefully started plucking delicate golden-orange trumpets from the forest floor. These were my first chanterelles, edible wild mushrooms, soon sautéing in butter in a cast iron fry pan on the rocky foreshore. What a sumptuous delight-nutty and peppery, and a bit chewy! Chanterelles are found on the East Coast as well as in the Pacific Northwest (but use extreme caution since many wild mushrooms are poisonous).

Chanterelles weren't the only find that day. That afternoon, lazing in the sun next to caribou trails, we found blueberries, and reckoned that "Summer Pudding" would be a great way to experience the taste of angelfood and foraged fruit.

Chris and her partner Greg are outdoor enthusiasts who've "come from away" to enjoy the wildness of "The Rock", as Newfoundland is known. Christine explores, forages, gardens, paints and sculpts from their bases in St. John's and Woody Point. Check out her website: www.christinekoch.com. Here she offers a great recipe for Eggplant, and our wonderful Summer Pudding.

Aubergine Curry

In a resealable plastic bag, combine:

1 tsp turmeric
6 peppercorns
4 cloves
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
Other ingredients:
1-1/2 lb. (600g) aubergine (eggplant)
2 tbsp ghee (or oil)
1-inch ginger, peeled and grated
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
3 tomatoes
juice of 1/2 lemon

At Camp:

Cube aubergine and soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain. Heat ghee in a large frypan. Toss in ginger, cilantro and the contents of spice bag. Fry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir for 5 minutes. Mix in aubergine. Add lemon juice and cook slowly for 15-20 minutes.

NOTE: Ghee is clarified butter-without the milk solids that tend to burn at high temperatures.

PaddleMeals Tip: Tomatoes and green peppers can stay fresh for 2 weeks. Add 2 tbsp of chlorine bleach to a sink full of drinking water. Soak veggies for several minutes. Dry and pack them away. The bleach kills surface bacteria that promote spoilage. Wrap each tomato/pepper in a paper or cotton bag and stow in a crush-proof container. Use a semi-porous resealable plastic vegetable bags-not an airtight container. At camp, if the recipe calls for a portion of one tomato-cut off and rewash what you need. (From Cliff Jacobson's book Cooking in the Outdoors)

Summer Pudding
450-600 g (1-1/2 lb.-about 4-6 cups) berries or a mixture of fresh or frozen without syrup-raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries or Saskatoons (Amelanchier Canadiensis: called "chuckly pears" in Newfoundland)
1/2 cup sugar or to taste
1/2 tsp cooking oil
6-8 slices white bread, crusts removed
whipping cream or custard

Wash and drain the fruit and place in saucepan with the sugar. Let the mixture sit for a couple of hours, unheated. Lightly oil a 6-cup mixing bowl, then line the bottom and sides with one layer of bread slices. Slightly overlap the bread-there must be no gaps. Simmer the berries gently 2-3 minutes until they release their juice. Reserve 1/3 cup juice. Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared mixing bowl. Cover the top of the pudding with another layer of bread. Place a plate on top of the pudding that fits exactly inside the bowl and weight it with a heavy rock. Leave in a cool place overnight. To serve elegantly, run a thin knife between pudding and bowl, and gently turn out the pudding onto a serving plate. If there are a few white patches where the bread isn't quite soaked through, pour the reserved juice over the pudding. Or just dig pudding out of the bowl. Serve with whipped cream or custard. Serves 4-6.

Enjoy!

Deb Leach, her kayak and computer live in Victoria, BC