Foraging for Violet Leaves and a recipe for Oniony Wild Duck Grits

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Recently I have become interested in foraging for food as part of my “cook from the pantry” practice. This was never really possible when we lived in a typical suburban neighborhood. Even though we didn’t use toxic chemicals on our property, overspray from neighbor’s lawns and from neighborhood common areas made us cautious. As an alternative, it seemed silly and wasteful to drive my SUV to a local park or green space to search for food. Plus, I didn’t really (and still don’t) have the time or energy to “go see what I can find”, and then concoct some way of preparation. Have you ever read the “The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Vacation“? I pictured myself foraging as if Papa Bear, searching for roots, bark and leaves to mix with rusty water for an unpalatable “wilderness stew”.

Yet I still wanted to try foraging. I bought a copy of A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guides) and it sat on the shelf, unread for several months. Then, my husband’s issue of Backwoods Home Magazine arrived in the mail. It had a small spotlight on the common blue violet, which apparently is as tasty and readily available as it is pretty. Peterson’s Field Guide concurs: the leaves may be eaten raw or cooked. According to the American Violet Society, “A 1/2 cup serving of violet leaves provides as much vitamin C as three oranges.”. As it happens, the farmhouse has violets all over the yard, in large quantity, with little reason for us to be concerned about chemical sprays or residue. We also have some violets growing in pots on our front porch. At last, the foraging stars have aligned!

Today I will share with you a recent meal that included violet leaves. Once I got past the initial foraging hesitation, including violet leaves in our diet is actually quite simple. Most of the time I only need a handful, and they are readily available outside my doorstep. I have already used violet leaves and leftover ingredients from the meal below in another meal, which I will hopefully blog about soon.

This recipe was adapted from one found in Nathalie Dupree’s Shrimp and Grits cookbook.

The original recipe calls for 4 cups of cooked grits. I think you could easily make this meal with leftover rice, mashed potatoes, quinoa, or another sturdy grain of choice. I used grits since they are easy to cook.

First, saute 1 cup chopped shallots in 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used a Baklouti Green Chile Pepper infused oil- spicy!) 5-6 minutes or until medium brown.

Meanwhile, combine the following ingredients in a large bowl:

– 1/2 cup water

– 1 15.5 ounce can corn, 1/2 cup separated and kept aside from this mixture

– 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herb of choice (I used oregano since my plant is so healthy and available!)

– 3/4 cup chopped spring onion greens

When your shallots are browned, add them to the bowl. Here is the mixture before I used my Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender (one of my most favorite kitchen tools) to puree it.

Once you have pureed this mixture to your liking, add your reserved corn and whatever shredded cooked meat or cooked shrimp you have available. The original recipe called for 2lb shrimp. I happened to have two wild ducks and some pheasant that my husband had smoked in his smoker that afternoon. It shredded beautifully, here it is!

I mixed the grits, meat, and vegetable blend all together at this point for simplicity in serving, but you could serve the meat separate from the grain/vegetables mixture if you prefer. Serve over a bed of chopped violet leaves! … OR spinach, if you must 🙂

As a reminder and as a disclaimer, be sure that you can positively identify any plant that you consume. Be sure not to eat plants that are found in areas where chemical pesticides, herbicides, or similar products have been used. You alone are responsible for what you ingest…. take care of yourself!

What do you think? Are you interested in foraging? Did this post help make the idea less foreign, or more accessible? Is there a particular food item for which you might consider finding a home-grown or foraged substitute?