While other folks head to the beach this summer, I’m having a blast doing some foraging for local fruits and ingredients. The early rains have helped the harvests along and the flavor is fantastic!

There’s always something deeply satisfying about finding your own food, whether it’s violets to candy or black raspberries to use in chocolate. As the summer progresses, I’ll also forage for wild blackberries and wild grapes to use in confections, as well. I may have to raid the wild plum tree nearby, if I can catch the plums before the birds do.

When I can’t find everything I want right in my own backyard, I head to Natura Farms on Manning Trail, just west of Scandia. Paul Otten, who runs the farm with a small army of volunteers, is an amazing encyclopedia of knowledge of the different kinds of produce. Walking down a row of  currants last week, he told me where each variety originated, and shared the story of each. This week, those currants are featured in a white currant jelly with homemade caramel chocolate!

Knowing where our food comes from is more important than ever, and I’m unbelievably fortunate that part of my job is to pick it and prepare it myself.