From Forest to Table

Ya'll like that little title? Sorry it's a little lame, but I just couldn't help myself.

Like so many others, I have found myself with more time on my hands due to this corona situation. That doesn't mean that I'm not busy or bored, because I am neither of those things. I still have a somewhat normal routine that I try to follow. And I do try, but I also am trying to be realistic with what is going on in the world and if I need some extra rest or active time, I'm going to give myself that.

One of the things that has been really nice is that I've had more time to explore the woods and nearby places with my dog. I usually stick to my few places within Burlington, as I "normally" would have less time to travel to a place to walk Ranger. Since the start of covid-19, I've noticed a significant increase in the amount of people I see at the few woodsy places I frequent in Burlington. I used to hardly see anyone. Maybe once or twice a week, out of 7 days of walking, would I see a person. This was pretty much the case even last spring, when I would walk every day in these places. But this past Sunday I had a pretty intense time when the park was packed at 7:30 on a Sunday morning. No thanks, I need my space and solitude!

So, having a little more time on my hands, I've been able to explore places still close to home but a little further away that an everyday trip wouldn't make sense. I have also had some time to dig deeper into things that interest me, one such thing being foraging. It's been really fun learning and relearning what is going to pop up and when and where to find them. It's so exciting!

I am by no means a chef or someone who loves to cook. I mean, I enjoy it... most of the time. Other times, I am fine with having crackers, veggies, and cheese for dinner. But I do love the idea of foraging and growing my own food (garden in progress, woot!) and preparing what I've graciously found from the earth or have carefully grown in my garden. So I was ready to dive into a culinary experiment after today's adventure.

This morning, I was lucky enough to A) Have my solitude on the trails, and to B) stumble upon a beautiful patch of ramps. I took only what I would need for a little pesto, and left the rest. So, as you probably guessed it, the photos that will follow are photos of my ramp pesto journey.

It's delicious and spicy! I'm sure I didn't need to, but I added a little garlic for more zing! I didn't measure anything, but here is what I put in mine. I don't eat much dairy, so there is no cheese, but feel free to add some parmesan into your mix.

Large Handful Ramps, cleaned and washed

EV Olive Oil, 1/4-1/2c

Toasted sunflower seeds, 1/2 c (used in place of pine nuts)

A few garlic cloves (optional, and definitely not needed. Spicy enough!)

Lemon zest

Salt to taste

And then all I did was blend that baby up in the food processor and voila! Delicious, yummy ramp pesto!