Passing on traditional skills like foraging, cooking from scratch and living well on less
Garlic scapes are in season at the moment, and they are delicious to use in garlic scape pesto. What are garlic scapes? These are the flower stems found in the center of hardneck and elephant garlic. These will eventually become flowers, but if left on the plant most of the plant’s energy will go […]
We recently had a bounty of rhubarb and I found myself looking for a great way to use it past the usual recipes. When I stumbled across a rhubarb juice recipe, I had to try it. That original recipe was a little bit (okay, a lot!) too sweet for my taste and even my kids […]
This is another recipe I’m putting online because friends ask me for it so often. 🙂 Here’s an easy, delicious way to use extra fruits and veggies you have on hand and create a fabulous gluten free treat at the same time. Every time we make it, it has a different flavor since we […]
This time of year, our family really loves making old-fashioned cookies and treats — especially sugarplums. These fruit-based treats are all natural, gluten free, easy and customizable, plus they’re really fun to make with kids. I’m sure everyone has heard of sugarplums at Christmastime (“While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads” from Clement Moore’s […]
If you have a garden, chances are that you’ve been pulling up one of the best greens in it for years. Lambsquarters are a very common “weed” in yards and gardens, but they’re actually a really tasty plant that you should probably get to know! Lambsquarters are also known as lambs quarters, wild spinach, pigweed, […]
There’s nothing better when you have fresh tomatoes than homemade salsa — and luckily there’s almost nothing easier too. Here’s our 3-minute fresh salsa recipe, which is the type of salsa (pico de gallo) you get from authentic Mexican restaurants and so good. Our recipe is adapted from one I found years ago that we […]
If you’re lucky enough to have fresh beets in your garden or CSA box right now, don’t use them all in the roasting pan or pickle jar. From flourless chocolate cupcakes to beet pasta, there are oodles of wonderful ways to use beets in delicious new ways. These brightly colored veggies are surprisingly versatile. […]
There are some recipes I put on this blog because friends and family ask me for the recipe so often and I want to have an easy way to give it to them. Victoria’s cranberry sauce is one of those recipes. It’s so easy that it’s hard to believe that it is so tasty, and […]
Life is too short to eat bad gluten-free pizza, and there’s no reason you have to. Gluten free pizza dough is easy to make at home (it’s even quicker and easier than traditional pizza dough!) and it is honestly delicious. We’ve been gluten free in our family for over eight years now, and pizza was […]
This article was originally published in Daryl’s Cooking with Kids column at examiner.com in September, 2013. Some links are affiliate links, meaning we get a small commission on purchases made through our links. Making fresh applesauce is something every kid should get to do. We are lucky enough to know several people with apple trees, […]
(Note: This recipe was originally posted by Daryl in his Cooking with Kids column on Examiner.com in 2012.) Here’s a quick and easy way to make tasty gluten-free, dairy free muffins that doesn’t require any special ingredients or much effort. Since our family went GF last spring, we’ve tried a lot of recipes that have […]
Dock seeds are prolific everywhere you look right now, so this is a great time to gather them and make dock seed flour. If you haven’t ever cooked with dock seeds, they’re an easy and healthy source of wild flour to forage. Dock grows as an invasive weed all over the world. You can often […]
We try to use nettles a lot around here since they’re so healthy, so tasty and grow so plentifully all around us. One of the kids’ favorite ways to enjoy nettles are in smoothies. Yes, really! You probably know how healthy stinging nettles are for you, but most folks don’t realize you can use them […]
Got boat loads of zucchini this time of year? Here’s a delicious and easy way to make use of them. Zucchini fritters are kid-friendly and tasty, and the recipe can easily be converted to gluten free (the way we make them), paleo and/or vegan. The recipe is very simple and adaptable, not even really a […]
Here’s a super simple recipe that the kids like to make for fruit sorbet. I even let them make it for breakfast, because they think they’re getting a treat and I know it’s healthy. Just blend frozen fruit (pineapple is a family favorite and what’s pictured here) with sweetened vanilla non-dairy milk of your choice. […]
We recently found ourselves in the possession of over a dozen bags of prunes (dried plums) and found ourselves wondering what to do with that many prunes. We used some for fresh eating and for homemade granola bars and energy balls, but our favorite way to use them so far is in a spiced prune […]
Here’s one of my favorite ways to use wild ramps, and you can use it to enjoy the wonderful flavor of ramps all year long. Dry the leaves and grind them with coarse sea salt for a simple but delicious wild ramp salt. Simply dry wild ramp leaves until crisp and then put them in […]
We love roasted cauliflower heads in our family but it takes a lot of time and effort to roast them traditionally to cook up tender and bake throughout. I’ve discovered that the Instant Pot can eliminate most of the cooking time and delivers perfect roasted cauliflower heads in much less time. It turns out the […]
This is a fantastic simple and delicious recipe for apple or pear cobbler where the batter makes its own crust. Our fifteen year old son, Jack, made it last week and proclaimed that it was his favorite dish so far that he’s baked (which is saying a lot, as the kid loves to bake). We […]
Tired of spending too much money on gluten free flour mixes that are expensive, gritty, low in nutrition and high in cheap ingredients like white rice flour? It’s so easy to mix up your own gluten free flours for tastier baked goods with more nutrition — and they cost far less money. Here’s the recipe […]
Most foragers know that cattails are an excellent wild food, so much so that Euell Gibbons called cattails “nature’s supermarket.” Foragers eat the hearts of the young stalks and the immature flower spikes, the pollen and the root starch, which can be used for a versatile cooking flour. That said, many foraging sites say that […]
I brought acorn spice cupcakes to my latest acorn presentation last week, and lots of people have asked for the recipe. Here it is, excerpted from my acorn foraging book. This recipe works with either gluten free flour mixes or regular wheat flour. Most of the recipes in my book are gluten free or have […]
Foragers and back yard gardeners often have the happy blessing of buckets of fruit to make use of this time of year. Here’s a wonderful recipe to make use of blueberries, mulberries, black raspberries, mulberries, peaches, strawberries or any other fruit that you have a bounty of. Sometime around mid-July every year, we pick over […]
It’s acorn season, which means one of the best wild foods out there is abundant and free right now. Acorn rice patties are delicious ways to make use of acorns and also happen to be vegetarian and gluten free. We usually have dried acorns and acorn flour on hand for cooking all year long, but […]
It’s zucchini season, meaning that even if you don’t grow zucchini you probably have more than enough giant zucchinis to find something to do with. Here’s a delicious way to make use of it. This zucchini bread recipe is simple and quite versatile. You can use your favorite gluten free flour mix or a blend […]
It’s mulberry season! Whether you have a mulberry tree in your back yard or local park or you have generous friends or neighbors, these sweet treats are all over right now. There are so many reasons to gather mulberries. First of all, they’re incredibly healthy. Mulberries are loaded with nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and […]
Whether you have buckets of wild mulberries or an excess of peaches that you can’t possibly eat in time, fruit leather is a fabulous way to make use of it. Fruit leather is wonderfully simple and you can customize each batch with whatever fruits you have and flavors you’re craving. Not only is fruit […]
If you’ve been following the royal wedding (or even if you haven’t), you’ve probably heard about the spectacular elderflower cake that pastry chef Claire Ptak designed for the much-anticipated wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The wedding cake is to be served at the Reception. It was designed by Claire Ptak and features elderflower […]
Daryl has made dandelion syrup several times with our kids and it’s always a big hit. Not only is it fun, but the syrup tastes delicious and it’s full of vitamins from the dandelions. It’s also a great vegan substitute for honey, with a similar color and taste. Although it’s the dead of winter right […]
Wondering what to plan for supper this week? Here are some healthy, frugal meals you can make if you’re vegan, paleo or anywhere in between. Even if you buy all organic ingredients, these are meals that are easy on your budget. 1. Soup — Use any veggies, leftovers, grains, meats or beans you have […]
If you’re gluten free, you know the bread you buy in the stores tends to be hard, tasteless, overpriced and basically awful. The good news is that you can easily bake gluten free bread that is soft, tasty and easy — and it’s much healthier than the stuff you buy in stores! Here’s one of […]
I have some recipes that are requested so often that I put them online somewhere for when friends or family message me and ask again for them. This is one of the recipes I decided to put up to save me the trouble of emailing it so much. 🙂 There are a lot of hush […]
I thought I’d share another acorn recipe from my acorn book, in case anybody else has a stash of newly foraged acorns waiting to be put to good use. This is an ice cream recipe I developed, and like the acorn drop biscuit recipe it is also vegan. There is a traditional acorn ice cream […]
It’s acorn season, and anybody who follows my Instagram knows that our family has been foraging, processing and cooking with acorns all month. Acorn processing #fallforaging #forageandharvest #wildedibles #foraging #foragingfamily #septemberforaging #fallflavors #acorns A post shared by Alicia Bayer (@magicandmayhem) on Sep 4, 2017 at 11:04am PDT I made up a batch of acorn drop […]
Our family has been busy lately with one of our favorite wild edible foods of fall — acorns. Acorn processing #fallforaging #forageandharvest #wildedibles #foraging #foragingfamily #septemberforaging #fallflavors #acorns A post shared by Alicia Bayer (@magicandmayhem) on Sep 4, 2017 at 11:04am PDT Yes, you can eat them, and they are absolutely delicious. They’re also nutritious […]
If you don’t have access to affordable organic suppliers like Bountiful Baskets or a good local CSA, Azure Standard is one option to get a monthly box of assorted organic fruits and vegetables. The box costs $33 (as of August 2017), plus a small delivery fee (generally about $10 for my order of about $120 […]
We’ve been having a weekly night for our kids with some friends and this popcorn has become a favorite sweet snack at our gatherings — with kids and parents alike. The kids love getting to help pick the flavors each week, and it couldn’t be easier to make. This makes a large amount, but it […]
Elderflower season is coming to an end and that means elderberry season is coming soon! Make sure you use some of this year’s elderberry crop to make some elderberry jam and elderberry pie filling, because they’re so wonderful in recipes like elderberry cream cheese cupcakes (and elderberry thumbprint cookies, and elderberry fluff, and elderberry frosting….). […]
Have you heard of elderflower soda? This is a traditional elderflower delicacy that is so popular in Romania that it inspired Coca-Cola to release their own version, Fanta Shokata (though theirs contains no real elderflowers). It is also known as Socată or Suc de Soc. Here’s the recipe to make your own, which is another […]
Store-bought gluten free buns are expensive and generally taste something like dish sponges. The good news is you can easily make your own. This recipe is my go-to recipe for quick gluten-free buns. It’s also egg-free, dairy-free and soy-free (and vegan!), so it’s great for folks with multiple allergies. I tend to make these at […]
I have been making homemade birthday cakes and cupcakes for my kids for almost 20 years now, and they’ve been gluten free for the past 6 years. With five kids, that means that I have baked a lot of birthday cakes and cupcakes! I tried recipe after recipe, with none of them giving me the […]
I’m still busy cracking the walnuts I harvested last fall (I have over 14 cups of meats so far), and I’m still finding creative ways to use them. Here are some more easy recipes I discovered online. Many of them involve maple syrup, because the maple sap has been running and it’s another great treat […]