Story
Foraged Herb Relish
Executive Chef Joey Edwards loves to forage and incorporate his finds into the menu at Three Sisters. Today, he's sharing a foraged herb relish that is versatile, delicious and can be customized to the region you're foraging in. Enjoy!
This is a condiment that can be made with all sorts of both wild and cultivated herbs, spices and flowers based on what you have available in your area. I use the pickled mustard seeds and thinly sliced pickled ramps as my base for this recipe every Spring. To that, I then add a mixture of other savory herbs as they pop up, adding enough vinegar or pickling brine to keep everything covered and preserved. Follow the suggestions below, but feel free to play with the proportions and selections based off what you have available in your region. Folks on the west coast may want to add wild fennel or even edible seaweeds, while here in the mountains we use a lot of spicy, edible wild flowers.
In Three Sisters we use this relish as the dressing for a grilled potato salad or the condiment for a beef carpaccio, but the possibilities are endless!
Items to pickle before making relish:
Mustard seeds*
Ramps
Horseradish, grated
Hearty herbs (like wild mustard buds, Shepherd’s purse or watercress stems)
Unripe blueberries
Standard pickling recipe:
4 parts cider vinegar
4 parts water
1 part sugar
Salt to taste
The standard pickling technique for this is to heat all ingredients in order to dissolve the sugar and salt, then pour the liquid over your raw ingredients while it’s still hot. Allow this to sit at room temperature to cool. Store covered in the refrigerator.
*The exception to this is the pickled mustard seeds. For those, combine two parts pickling liquid (the four ingredients above, combined) to 1 part mustard seeds in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and store covered in the fridge.
Herbs and spices to fold into relish raw:
Bee balm, chiffonade
Delicate blossoms (arugula, mustard, radish, watercress, bittercress)
Cracked black pepper