Two favorite books of late: “The Boreal Gourmet” by Michelle Genest and “The Boreal Herbal by Beverly Gray (notice “Spider Woman’s Bogs”)
“The Boreal Gourmet” – Adventures in Northern Cooking is a fabulous book for anyone living in the North like Yukon and Alaska. “Hilarious, big-hearted writing about food gathering and cooking adventures on Canada’s boreal frontier, Michele Genest mixes her experience of international cuisine with big love for local ingredients to create receipes that make you want to pull on gumboots and head north. This book is truly Yukon Gold!” – Margaret Webb, author of Apples to Oysters
“The Boreal Herbal”: wild food and medicine plants of the North is an indispensable guide to identifying and using northern plants for food and medicine. With the Boreal Herbal you will learn how to soothe pain with willow, staunch bleeding with yarrow, treat a urinary-tract infection with bearberry, and create a delicate and uplifting skin cream from sweetgrass. Also included are dozens of healty and delicious recipes, including Wild-weed Spanakopita, Dandelion Wine, and Cranberry-mint Muffins.”
I use both books as cross-references. For the past 10+ years, ever since I canned apricots and blackberries in my portable outdoor kitchen directly after my classes at Pilchuck School of Glass, I have had the notion that I will spend 4 to 6 months harvesting food starting up in Yukon and working my way down through Southeast Alaska, British Columbia and Washington State, Oregon, Montana, California, etc. then head back to Colorado to spend the Winters with my loot of foods put up for winter; every time I pull out a jar of smoked salmon, or dried apricots, or fix a cup of Labrador tea, I have the memories and joyful feelings of harvesting the bounty from the land and sea. This type of experience, in my opinion, is a wholistic way of life. Our spirituality, mentality and physical bodies are experienced as one; no separation. I discovered that Michele and her husband Hector (amongst many other Yukonians), do this type of journey every Summer. I intend on doing this too, soon. Real soon. And in conjunction with teaching Chilkat weaving wherever I am.
Michelle serving up sourdough pancakes with low-bush cranberries; her husband Hector (in the white hat) converses with a “customer”
While in Atlin, B.C. during their annual music festival, I took a jaunt on foot around town and while heading back to our weavers’ demo tent, I saw a crowd of people standing around a long table set up on the side of a road. They were all chomping down happily and talking while they ate, obviously enthusiastic about what they were eating. So I walked over to them and noticed hand-made mushroom raviolis and cranberry pancakes being served. I said: “hey, cool,…what’s going on…is there some kind of celebration?” And immediately the woman responded: “oh, hello, Clarissa…how’s it going…good to see you again!” It was Michele Genest. I had met her a month prior on the MV Matanuska ferry heading to Skagway. She was checking out our weaving looms on board – and I remember her saying she wasn’t much of an artist except that she was an avid cook and a writer. ——- It’s a small world.