|
 |
|
Suggested Products
|
|
Introduction
For a long time Canadians relied on wild berries, fruits, mushrooms and edible plants as an important component of their staple diet. This component of non-cultivated products has gradually diminished with the development of mechanized agriculture and urbanization. Many people today are simply unaware of the benefits and the flavours of some of these foods.
In recent years these natural products have become fashionable, and many small businesses began to harvest and package wild foods. OGourmet has decided to add a new line to its collection of fine products – wild foods, featuring more than 50 products from many small Canadian firms.
Consumers are often unfamiliar with many of the wild berries, fruits, mushrooms and plants that are available. To make up for this lack of knowledge, in this collection of guides OGourmet presents information on the nature and use of these natural products. We hope that they will either refresh your knowledge or introduce you to these exciting products, and give you tips on getting the best from them.
The content of our guides will vary over time as the range of products offered by OGourmet changes. Additions will include comments, tips and recipes that you are invited to add to. If you find that some of the information is inaccurate or that you can add more precision to a subject, please send us an e-mail and let us know. Your contribution may help other visitors to discover and make good use of these extraordinary local products.
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
 Other common names: butterfly flower, silkweed, silky swallow-wort, Virginia silkweed.
Farmers view it as a weed, farm animals won’t touch it and children enjoy bursting its pods. Also known as butterfly weed and cottonweed, it attracts Monarch butterflies, which feed on its nectar. Florists appreciate dried milkweed plants, and gourmets prepare it in several different ways, as the plant offers three different greens depending on the season.
The young shoots that appear in June resemble asparagus. In July the budding flower spikes look like broccoli, and in late July the small slender pods appear. These three greens are similar in taste but vary in texture and appearance and are cooked in different fashion.
Milkweed contains a bitter white sap, and Gourmet Sauvage has worked extensively to find the best way of eliminating all trace of a bitter taste. The result is delicious!
OGourmet products: To rediscover the flavours of this plant that was well-known to our ancestors, try the pickled milkweed pods offered in two formats (500 ml from Marché Transatlantique, or 250 ml from Gourmet Sauvage), or the milkweed pod ketchup from Gourmet Sauvage.
Culinary tips: Add to a plate of hors-d'oeuvre, serve with smoked salmon, pâtés or foie gras. Chop it up with sour cream to make a dip for raw vegetables. Originally made to accompany tourtière, the milkweed pod ketchup is great on hamburgers or with sausages. A wonderful replacement for salsa.
Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
 The eastern white-cedar is also called northern white-cedar, arborvitae and swamp-cedar. The leaves of this conifer are rich in vitamin C. The name arborvitae or “tree of life” dates from the 16th century when the French explorer Jacques Cartier learned from the Amerindian nations how to use the tree's foliage to treat scurvy.
Eastern white cedars found growing on cliff faces in Southern Ontario are the oldest trees in Canada and Eastern North America, with some of them more than 1300 years old.
OGourmet products: Jellied cedar from Gourmet Sauvage.
Culinary Tips: Cedar wood is aromatic. Try the cedar jelly. It’s surprising and pleasantly scented! Add to cooked carrots and serve. Spread on warm apple pie. Add a bit at a time to fruit salads. Accompanies quail, lamb and any wild meat. Try sour cream and cedar jelly with smoked salmon. Add to juices from a roast at the last minute so as not to lose the flavour.
|
Cart
