Foraging for Salads: A Feast from the Forest Floor
With my garden producing less than I’d hoped this year, I’ve found myself leaning even more into one of my favorite seasonal traditions—foraging for wild salads. And let me tell you, the land did not disappoint.
There is such an incredible abundance of edible vegetation out there if you just take the time to look. What began as a supplement to my small harvest quickly became the star of the plate.
Here’s what made it into my latest foraged salad:
- 🍓 Wild Arctic berries and strawberries – sweet bursts of flavor straight from the forest floor.
- 🍀 Red and white clover blossoms – subtly sweet and packed with nutrients.
- 🌺 Tiger lily petals – vibrant, tender, and slightly peppery, they add beauty as well as bite.
- 🌿 Fireweed leaves – tender when young and full of vitamins, they blend perfectly into a salad base.
From the garden (small but mighty!), I added:
- 🥬 Leaf lettuce
- 🌱 Radishes for that crisp, peppery crunch
- 🍓 And a few more garden strawberries, because you can never have too many.
To round it out, I tossed in a handful of fermented wheat and rolled oats, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds—for a boost of texture, nutrition, and a little gut-friendly fermentation.
The dressing? A haskap wine vinegar and coconut vinaigrette that brought everything together with a sweet-tart tang. I sprinkled in a touch of seasoning and a dash of cinnamon for warmth and depth. I think that covers everything… but honestly, half the joy of a wild-foraged meal is that no two bowls are ever quite the same.
There’s something deeply satisfying about walking the land, gathering what it freely offers, and turning it into nourishment. It’s more than a meal—it’s a connection to creation, to gratitude, and to the wild abundance God has woven into every hillside, meadow, and tree line.
🌿 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
— Psalm 24:1
