Foraging wild vegetables in Calabria

There are 2 things you should know about my Italian mother-in-law:

1. She keeps a gallon jug of extra virgin olive oil beneath her sink.

2. She will out forage us all.

While the days are still crisp in Calabria, Spring is beginning to creep in. The weeds are waist high in the groves. And amongst them are delicious bundles of greens waiting to be unceremoniously chopped by a 5' tall elderly Italian woman. With seemingly endless energy and grass nearly as tall as her, it's impossible not to smile while helping (re: chasing) Lina across the property.

She gets FOMO when our bag is full and she spots another sprawling patch of bietole (chard). I'm not very fond of the leafy vegetable, preferring chicory. That's the favorite in our home. Wild broccoli is a close second, it has been growing along the edges of the trees, seeds blown over from our neighbors.

To be honest, neither Giuseppe nor I are very good at spotting wild vegetables. I suppose you could say we are more for the trees. But Lina is patient and with time we are getting better.

If you prefer to see the video on IG, link below!

skylermapes

A post shared by @skylermapes

Lina’s foraged vegetables: chicory, chard, and broccoli rabe

This is for approximately 1 large bundle of vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 large bundle of vegetables

• 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1-2 smashed garlic cloves

• 1 spicy pepper roughly chopped or whole, optional

Instructions

• Clean the vegetables with a small knife removing any hard ends, yellow/brown leaves, and undesirables

• Wash well (2x to remove any lingering dirt)

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously

• Blanch the vegetables for 1-3 minutes (cook for longer if tough), remove with tongs or a sieve, and place into a colander to drain

• Heat a large pan on low, add extra virgin olive oil and smashed garlic cloves, optional spicy pepper

• Gently fry the garlic for 1 minute then add the vegetables and cook for 3-5 more minutes

• Salt to taste and serve

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Free class with The New York Public Library

We taught a FREE class with the NYPL last month called How to Build a New Brand in an Ancient Industry. It was 60 minutes long and we covered so much. If you couldn't make it live, here is a FREE replay (good until March 20).

Tanti Saluti,

-Giuseppe & Skyler, Founders & Authors