foraging with veronica williams.....my forest floor gypsy
ms. veronica williams learned to pick mushrooms and berries as a way of life, from her mother in her native hungary… she has been a citizen of the united states of America and a resident of south bend, washington since 1949… although none of us will ever know our forest floor gypsy’s true age- these things are best left untouched…. the hilly forests of pacific county resemble the land she grew up on, knew and loved as a child… naturally, the familiar landscape and surroundings encouraged her to continue her avocation and traditions of reaping the harvest of wild edible commodities…. It is a joy to watch her haul in bucket after bucket of wild harvested celery, flats of fiddlehead ferns (these she blows the brown paper like skin off with a pressure washer), multitudes of mushrooms (some she swears are the biggest she has ever found), white and black truffles (she once gave me like $1200.oo worth as a gift- well I traded 2 pieces of beer-can chicken for them), huckleberries, salmonberries, goose tongue and watercress…. according to veronica- ‘…..the food is here for the picking….’ Her skills netted her 200+ gallons of wild berries last season, she has a wealth of SPOTS…. these SPOTS will never, ever be given up to anyone outside her immediate family…. she may sometimes wind up with another of my farmers weaved baskets, but this is the coolest old chick I have ever met… the products that she brings me cannot be dubbed ORGANIC, for they are wild, like veronicas spirit when she is in the deep emerald green forests… it should not go without saying that veronica forages with a respect for all that grows, following the ways of the native american people- the original ecologists….! she is a lifelong member of the mycological society of america and prizes herself on what she describes as “mushroom eyes’….. see- veronica can spot an edible mushroom from the seat of her car travelling at fifty miles an hour…. veronica has been the chef at the tokeland studio outpost since its opening in 1985…. The food in her kitchen is prepared the old school way, from scratch- using wild and natural ingredients…… veronica is a chefs chef, loving to talk food, she is a true inspiration for people educating themselves on wild edibles…. having her float in and out of my kitchen 2-3 times a week is a pleasure, this the kitchen where friend of veronicas- mr. james beard had cooked thirty years prior… for wild edibles call veronica @ 360.718.0362 or 360.875.6295… she has a solid following among us chefs here in the pacific northwest and beyond… rock on veronica – rock on…… the three early oyster mushrooms that you brought me today with the wild celery were fricken absurd, they were the size of my hand, one bigger……
ms. veronica williams learned to pick mushrooms and berries as a way of life, from her mother in her native hungary… she has been a citizen of the united states of America and a resident of south bend, washington since 1949… although none of us will ever know our forest floor gypsy’s true age- these things are best left untouched…. the hilly forests of pacific county resemble the land she grew up on, knew and loved as a child… naturally, the familiar landscape and surroundings encouraged her to continue her avocation and traditions of reaping the harvest of wild edible commodities…. It is a joy to watch her haul in bucket after bucket of wild harvested celery, flats of fiddlehead ferns (these she blows the brown paper like skin off with a pressure washer), multitudes of mushrooms (some she swears are the biggest she has ever found), white and black truffles (she once gave me like $1200.oo worth as a gift- well I traded 2 pieces of beer-can chicken for them), huckleberries, salmonberries, goose tongue and watercress…. according to veronica- ‘…..the food is here for the picking….’ Her skills netted her 200+ gallons of wild berries last season, she has a wealth of SPOTS…. these SPOTS will never, ever be given up to anyone outside her immediate family…. she may sometimes wind up with another of my farmers weaved baskets, but this is the coolest old chick I have ever met… the products that she brings me cannot be dubbed ORGANIC, for they are wild, like veronicas spirit when she is in the deep emerald green forests… it should not go without saying that veronica forages with a respect for all that grows, following the ways of the native american people- the original ecologists….! she is a lifelong member of the mycological society of america and prizes herself on what she describes as “mushroom eyes’….. see- veronica can spot an edible mushroom from the seat of her car travelling at fifty miles an hour…. veronica has been the chef at the tokeland studio outpost since its opening in 1985…. The food in her kitchen is prepared the old school way, from scratch- using wild and natural ingredients…… veronica is a chefs chef, loving to talk food, she is a true inspiration for people educating themselves on wild edibles…. having her float in and out of my kitchen 2-3 times a week is a pleasure, this the kitchen where friend of veronicas- mr. james beard had cooked thirty years prior… for wild edibles call veronica @ 360.718.0362 or 360.875.6295… she has a solid following among us chefs here in the pacific northwest and beyond… rock on veronica – rock on…… the three early oyster mushrooms that you brought me today with the wild celery were fricken absurd, they were the size of my hand, one bigger……