Earth Eats

05/07/2025

On the final summer-themed episode of "Eats Wild," anthropologist Keitlyn Alcantara returns to the show for a conversation about Indigenous foodways.

Join us as we harvest and cook edible weeds (also known as Quelites) into quesadillas. 🍳 Then, learn how to make syrups with linden and elder flowers. 💐

🎙 Listen now on all podcast platforms.

01/07/2025

Chanterelles have a distinctive orange color, which stands out against dark leaf litter, making them a great mushroom for beginning foragers! 🔎

My partner Carl and I have been gathering chanterelles for years. Carl has a spot where he reliably finds many, almost every year. I headed out there with him in July of 2024 to see what we could find—you can listen to our journey in the latest "Eats Wild" episode!

Once you have identified chanterelles, you can harvest them by cutting close to the base with a pocketknife. They are wonderful when prepared fresh, but can also be dried. We use ours in soup stock. 🍲

Be wary of a toxic look-alike mushroom, the jack-o-lantern. 🎃 Both are some shade of orange and appear in mid-summer (start looking on July 4).

As with all foraging, never eat anything that you aren't 100% sure about. Stay safe and have fun this summer! ☀️

29/06/2025

An artist tells the story of how chanterelle hunting in the woods lifted her spirits during the roughest part of the pandemic; and a chef shares a tangy recipe made with backyard weeds.

28/06/2025

"I am a human who yearns to remember that she's part of nature in a way that I think our culture is trying to make me forget." 🌎

On our second summer-themed episode of the "Eats Wild" limited series, we head out into the woods with two amateur mushroom hunters: Ileana Haberman, quoted above, and Carl Pearson.

Ileana shares her story of seeking solace gathering chanterelles during the worst of the pandemic. And Carl walks us through the basics of positive identification of edible fungi—in this case, a bicolor bolete that we turned into a decadent pasta dish.

And if you're more interested in the eating than the foraging, stick around to the end for a cooking segment with Chef Nick Dietrich! Nick, a multi-time guest on the show, whips up an elegant salt-baked beet dish featuring wild purslane and wood sorrel from my backyard. 🌿

Stream now, wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧

17/05/2025

Every forager has their own motivations for hunting for wild food. 🍓🫛

Some of us love the adventure, the treasure hunt, veering off the beaten path in unfamiliar territory, in search of something special. 🥾✨ Some of us love the way it puts us in touch with the seasons and with the place where we live. 🍂🏡 For some of us...it's flavor!

On the first summer-themed episode of our "Eats Wild: limited series, Ross Gay and Tracy Branham explore the potentially transcendent experience of wild berry picking, contemplating memory, time, and maybe even life itself. Stream now, wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧

18/04/2025

Did you know that every part of the dandelion is edible?

The roots can be cooked like turnips, or dried and made into a tea. 🍵

The tender new spring leaves can be eaten raw, but later in the season, they are best when cooked as you would mustard greens. 🌿 They have a distinctive bitter flavor.

The blossoms are the sweetest, especially the interior yellow petals. You can pull out the petals and enjoy them as a garnish or in salads. 🥗 They also make delicious fritters!

✏️ Drawing (and fritters) by Kayte Young

16/04/2025

"Eats Wild" is an invitation to take notice of your surroundings. Pay attention to subtle seasonal changes and engage in memorable experiences with the natural world. 🍃

No matter what you walk away with after a foraging excursion, I hope you enjoy the search. 🐿

14/04/2025

In April of 2024, I ventured out to the Hoosier National Forest with hobby mushroom hunter Rose Harding to search for an elusive Midwestern favorite: morels. Strange and rare, surrounded by mystery and lore, even the most experienced foragers confess to not having much luck finding them.

In the third installment of our special "Eats Wild" series, Rose shares her process for a successful scavenge. Perhaps the most important aspect is memory.

As you develop your observant eye, the forest's natural patterns tell all. So, if you learn to appreciate nature's connectedness, you'll have much better luck on your foraging adventures—including finding these hidden, brainy gems we know as morel mushrooms!

10/04/2025

Whether you're hiking in the woods, weeding your garden or walking downtown, there’s almost always something edible growing nearby–especially in the springtime. 🌷

On this "Eats Wild" episode, we chat chickweed with Stephanie Solomon; prepare purple deadnettle deviled eggs, harvest spicebush and ramps in the woods with Jill Vance, and fry up crunchy fritters made with dandelion flowers. 🌼

Discover the joys of urban foraging in the spring with Stephanie Solomon, in part two in our special nine-part series on wild edible plants in the midwest.

09/04/2025

The purple deadnettle has a mild, spinach-like flavor, making it a perfect spring-time addition to your deviled egg recipe. 🌿 It's quick to prepare and enhances the deviled egg filling. Plus, its delicate flowers are edible, so make sure to save plenty for garnish!

🥣 Find the recipe up on our blog now.