Wild Flavors All Year Round
How to Infuse Oils and Vinegars with Foraged Ingredients
Fallen leaves and chilly temperatures don’t mean you have to stop harvesting wild ingredients until Spring. No matter where you are or how cold (or warm) it is outside, there are always ample opportunities to experiment with new tastes, provided you know how to think about flavor. One of the nicest ways to experience wild flavor, and to prepare tasty foods using limited ingredients, is by infusing oils and vinegars.
When tasting wine, one is instructed to pay very close attention to flavors you might otherwise miss. Creating oils and vinegars with wild ingredients requires the same kind of discipline. We so rarely take the time to notice flavor, either because we’re eating on the go or because we’ve become so used to the Western flavor palette that, with a few exceptions, the tastes no longer surprise us. Creating new flavors with wild, foraged ingredients allows us to once again experience surprise. This actually tastes like this?
Everything has a flavor. Don’t be afraid to use ingredients like dead leaves, strips of bark, catkins, grasses, and seeds. Experimentation is key: keep a journal, and label your jars.
Consider the creation of wild infusions as similar as to that of perfume. Each ingredient has its own flavor profile. Is it sweet? Bitter? Tannic? Green? Mushroomy? Stack flavors in themes, so that two or three tastes complement one another. Perhaps your oil has a major heavy or tannic note; if so, play with sharper flavors like conifer or fir. Balance floral or fruity flavors with dusky fall leaves, or mild grasses.
Your base will always contribute flavor and qualities, which is well worth keeping in mind. Olive oil and coconut oil are wonderful, but their inherent flavors can mask the subtleties of wild ingredients. Apple cider vinegar is one of the best for infusion, but it does sweeten and flavor on its own. High quality unflavored vinegar is worth seeking out if you wish to create vinegar infusions that carry their own essence.
INFUSED VINEGARS
Infused vinegars can add a splash of flavor to salads, sauces, or sautés. They are also delicious when added to drinks; try a dollop in soda water for a refreshing treat.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prepare your wild ingredients. Clean, then chop as finely as possible. If dried, pulverize to a coarse powder using a coffee grinder or blender. If fresh, use a sharp knife or food processor.
- In a glass canning jar, add your wild ingredient. If dried, fill no more than three-quarters, as the dried material will expand. If fresh, fill to an inch or two below the rim of the jar.
INFUSION METHODS:
- Cold infusion: fill with vinegar, cover the mouth of the jar with wax paper to avoid corroding the metal lid, and set the jar in a dark location for 10–14 days. Shake daily.
- Hot infusion (use this method if you have bark or woody items in your blend): bring your vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, then fill jar with boiling liquid. When cool enough to cover, cover the mouth of the jar with wax paper, seal, and set the jar in a dark location for 10–14 days.
- When infusion is complete, strain the vinegar using a cheesecloth lined potato ricer, or a wooden spoon/mesh strainer.
- Refrigerate, or store in a cool, dark, place.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST INFUSED VINEGAR RECIPES:
- Forest Tree Vinegar #1
- Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum): 2 browned leaves with stems
- Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta): 5 leaves (or so), dried
- Hazelnut: 10 catkin/cones, dried
- Hazelnut: 10 very small twigs, 1–2”
- Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata): Needles, fresh and chopped finely, ¼ cup
- Add vinegar to fill 1 pint jar
2. Conifer Vinegar
- Mix of needles, cones, etc. from Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Grand fir, Pine, etc.
- Hot infusion works best.
3. Arbutus/Pine Vinegar
- Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo): fruit, enough to fill ½ jar
- Pine (Pinus spp.): Needles, 1 c. chopped
- Pine: 3 small cones
- Madrone (Arbutus menziesii): bark, 2 palm-sized strips
- Add vinegar to fill 1 pint jar
INFUSED OILS
Infused oils are incredibly versatile; they can be used for everything from sautéing to dipping breads and crackers to adding flavor to cheeses or dressings.
Wild infused oils are particularly nice with lightly flavored foods: tofu, white fish, cheeses, chicken, etc.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prepare your wild ingredients. Clean, then chop as finely as possible. If dried, pulverize to a coarse powder using a coffee grinder or blender. If fresh, use a sharp knife or food processor.
- In a glass canning jar, add your wild ingredient. If dried, fill no more than three-quarters, as the dried material will expand. If fresh, fill to an inch or two below the rim of the jar.
- Fill with your chosen oil. Olive oil is great, but does add flavor. I prefer grapeseed or sunflower, as they are relatively inexpensive and don’t have much flavor on their own. After initially adding the oil, use a chopstick to stir and allow the oil to settle. You may end up needing to add additional oil.
INFUSION METHODS:
- Slow infusion: set the jar in a warm location (i.e. in the sun, on a radiator, or a gas oven near the pilot light) for 10–14 days. Shake daily.
- Quick infusion: Place your jar in a saucepan, and add enough water that it comes up about three quarters of the way up the side of the jar. Turn the water to medium/medium high until it just starts bubbling (it should be between 100–150 degrees but no more). Leave at this temperature in the water bath for approximately an hour. At this point, you can remove and either strain for use or allow to infuse on top of the refrigerator for another 2 weeks or so.
- When infusion is complete, strain the oil using a cheesecloth/potato masher, or a wooden spoon/mesh strainer. Allow to sit for 12 hours or so; if any water separates from the oil, you’ll need to remove by pouring off the oil or using a gravy separator in order to avoid potential storage.
- Store in a cool, dark, place.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST INFUSED OIL RECIPES
1. “Seattle Parks and Rec” Oil
I found all of the ingredients in this oil in a local park. These ingredients should be available from late September — early November.
- Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum): 3 browned leaves
- Sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis): 7 green leaves (can substitute dandelion in a pinch, but these are sweeter)
- Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota): 3 flower heads, fresh or dried
- Clover (Trifolium spp.): 15 Flowers, entire
- Salal (Gaultheria shallon): 2 tbsp berries, dried
- Cover with grapeseed oil to 8 oz.
2. Forest Tree Blend
These ingredients can be found year-round, with the possible exception of the Turkey Tail Mushrooms (Trametes versicolor), which can be dried when harvested or purchased from a reputable supplier.
- English Holly (Ilex aquifolium): Ten leaves, completely dried until no longer glossy, roasted at 250 degrees for 30 minutes, and ground to a powder
- Turkey Tail mushrooms (Trametes versicolor): Five coin-sized pieces, dehydrated
- Madrone tree (Arbutus menziesii): Strips of outer bark (approx. 1/4 cup)
- Alder tree (Alnus rubra): Hand-sized portion of outer bark, smoked, dried until brittle, and powdered
3. Large Leaf Avens Oil
A wonderful base oil. The Large Leaf Avens (Geum macrophyllum) can be identified in fall/winter by the persistent dried flower-heads, which resemble large burrs. This plant’s roots have a distinct clove-like flavor.
- Infuse grapeseed oil with fresh roots and leaves (primarily roots) using Quick Infusion method above.
As a final caveat, always research your wild ingredients thoroughly and carefully. If you’re not 100% sure what something is, don’t put it in your mouth.
