Rooted Kitchen

"Deepen your relationship with the natural world through thoughtful essays and 75 delightfully inventive recipes that feature seasonal ingredients, plus techniques for foraging, preserving, and cooking over an open fire. At a time when we urgently need to connect with the Earth, Rooted Kitchen offers a fresh way to appreciate nature and the treasures it provides. Chef and author Ashley Rodriguez introduces readers to the basics of foraging, why it's important, how easy it can be, and offers tips for harvesting ingredients from mushrooms to nettles to edible flowers, and more. The cookbook is organized seasonally which makes it easy to find recipes for your haul, such as a comforting homemade Nettle Orecchiette with Sausage and Mint in spring (and how to use the leaves to make a nutritious and soothing cup of tea on chilly mornings); Nectarine Salad with Cucumber, Fennel, Feta and Herbs in summer; and Fire-Roasted Pumpkin Fondue with Chanterelles in fall. Ingredients, cooking, and foraging techniques, as well as mindfulness activities (such as a finding a sit-spot outdoors) are spotlighted in each season to encourage readers to make the most of whatever nature is available to them. Sometimes it's as simple as harvesting spruce tips and pairing their distinct pine flavor with salmon, or plucking lilac blossoms from a neighborhood tree and making Rhubarb-Lilac Jam to dollop on a pavlova. From small urban backyards to nearby parks to forests, and beyond, when we become more connected to the outdoors through our food, it also sparks a deeper connection to ourselves"--