Foraged Breakfast

I like to supplement my meals with foraged edibles as often as I can. The flavor and nutrition far surpasses anything you can get in stores. Here's a simple scrambled eggs and dandelion fritter breakfast that I like to make every spring when the wild ingredients become available.

First I set out to find some wild leeks. They typically grow in moist shaded soil in hardwood forests.

To harvest the entire plant, you'll need a digging implement. The bulbs can be several inches deep. I used a sharpened stick to dig/pry them up.

Every part of the plant is edible and has a very strong onion/garlic flavor.

Here's everything I gathered for my meal. The wild leeks, some dandelion flowers from the backyard, and a pheasant back mushroom that I found on a previous outing.

I made a quick batter for the dandelions with flour and milk.

I then dipped them in the batter and fried them in butter, about 30 seconds on each side.

On to the main course. The mushroom and leeks chopped up and ready to go..

The mushrooms fried in butter, about 3-5 minutes or until they lose their firmness.

Now we can add our eggs, 3 should be enough. You can add salt and pepper at this point if you prefer, but I don't really think it's necessary.

Once the eggs are nearly done, we can add the leeks, and cook for another minute or two.

All done..

The dandelion fritters tasted just like buttery pancakes, and were especially good when dipped in my homemade maple syrup. The eggs dish was absolutely amazing. The mushrooms make a great meat substitute as they have a pleasant meaty taste, and the leeks gave everything a delightful freshness that only they can.

With summer almost here, stay tuned for lots more foraging and new recipes.