Wild Foods Dinner

Three of the four Reppert sisters; Carolynn, Susanna, and Nancy, presented a Wild Foods Dinner and Program last week in the tea room. It was a wild time in the kitchen and in the tea room where a small group of adventurous diners feasted on wild crafted weeds.The appetizers included Pickled Day Lily Buds, Rose Hip Jelly over Cream Cheese, and Sheep Sorrel Spread with crackers presented on a huge Burdock leaf.A Weedy Green Salad featuring a variety of weed snippets such as lambs quarters (a slightly bitter weed), water cress (slightly peppery), purslane (delicate and moist), and wood sorrel (tart) were served atop local organic salad greens and garnished with raspberries, clover and violet blossoms (harvested in early spring and dried) and topped with a delicate honey, oil and vinegar dressing. Two types of 'Weed Sticks' accompanied the salad. A Weed Stick is made by mixing butter with the fresh weeds, spread on very thin bread, and lightly toasted in the oven. We served a combination of garlic chives and watercress on one, and wood sorrel and pepper on the other.The main entree was a Phyllo Ricotta/Feta Cheese Square topped with Garlic Mustard Pesto, Sauteed Day lily Buds (recipe to be posted tomorrow), a Warm Weedy Biscuit, and a Day Lily Blossom.
The dessert was Mixed Berry Shortcake with almond cream,local strawberries tossed with finely snipped perilla (minty/basil flavor) and white violets.
Beverages included iced water garnished with a leaf of fresh Mountain Mint, iced Sassafras Tea, iced Red Sumac 'lemonade', and hot Mountain Mint tea with dessert. An informative and entertaining slide show program presented by Master Gardener Carolynn (Carrie) Reppert Sears completed the evening.