What can you harvest now?

, it's summer, you're outside so let's find some sweet, salty, fresh summer foraging for you.  I've been harvesting...

#1 Red rock crab

Catch and eat the meat, but save the shells for the best stock you'll ever taste.

Find red rock crab near rocky areas, you can even hand harvest them with a snorkel and tongs to pick them up.  Simmer the heads/leg shells on low for 45 minutes to make a simple stock.

#2 Sea asparagus

Precious summer delicacy that is crunchy, green and salty.  These are so expensive!  Find your own to pick in muddy tidal flats.

#3 Cattails

New shoots taste like cucumber, harvest them in marshy sunny spots, near ponds and ditches.  Tip: Make sure the water quality is clean in the area

#4 Thimbleberry

Like raspberries more intense, sweeter sister.  Furry maple style leaf is distinctive.  Look in sunny open meadow areas that border woods.

#5 Seaweed! 

Try savoury bullwhip kelp, that grows up to a foot each day in summer!  Only harvest a few blades off each kelp, be a good sustainable forager.  Dry these in the sun and crumble for a great addition to your spice pantry.

We have https://swallowtail.ca/calendar/ summer foraging classes with a few spots left if you want to come out with me to give you more foraging confidence:)  

Our summer pop-up dinner series this year will feature some of these BC star wild ingredients crafted into dishes by Chefs John Bishop (Sept, TBA), Bruno Feldeisen (Aug/Sept) and Brent Thornton (Aug) and served in the Swallow Tail secret garden.   Details below...

Summer Garden Pop-up Dinners...

Never been to our underground supper club? Here's a summer only deal:  $5 off per ticket for any group of 4 who have never been to a supper club before with the promo code 4NEWBIE!  Valid until Sept 1/2024

GARDEN FETE 

Dinner with Chefs Bruno & Brent 

ONLY Aug 9+10

Chef Brent Thornton (St.Lawerence/Is That French) & Bruno Feldeisen (Michelin Star/Great Canadian Bake Off) come together to celebrate summer harvest with dishes like Wild BC Halibut Cheeks “Meuniere”, Olive Oil Poached Kabocha, Summer Truffles, Fried Leeks and Fresh BC Oysters on the Half Shell, Calamansi Mignonette, Salsa Verde. 8 Courses await you and you can byob with our sommelier guiding you with wine pairing recommendations. Bring your big sun hats and appetites to the garden in Mount Pleasant. 

WILD INDIAN PANTRY - A pop-up dinner

ONLY: Aug 31, Sept 1st

Chef Tushar Tondvalkar (The Indian Pantry) is collaborating with us for a wild Indian pop-up dinner.  We're foraging with him for key ingredients like elderflower, rose petals, reindeer lichen, sea lettuce, pine cone, morels (+ more) and he's preparing an totally unique 5 course menu in the garden for you! Chef Tushar has interned at international Michelin restaurants such as Gaggan, (Asia’s Number One restaurant) and Gaa in Bangkok. In Vancouver, his resume includes Bauhaus and Blue Water Cafe.  We are so excited, don't miss it!

THE MENU

Heirloom Tomato

Reindeer lichen | Kale chutney | Elderflower | Vine-grate | Pine salt

Zucchini Chaat

Spiced yogurt | Tamarind chutney | Mint chutney | Crispy sea lettuce

Chicken & Mushroom Korma

Morel pulao | Milk + Yeast bread

Malvani Crab Curry

Caramelized onion + coconut sauce |Lentil + Sorgum bread

Buffalo Milk Cake

Pine cone caramel | Nootka rose jam | Hazelnut

100

Includes Greeting Cocktail