Lucia Watson and Teresa Marrone Reading
Lucia Watson begins by discussing her book entitled Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland. Watson who is chef and proprietor of Lucia’s Restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, discusses the importance of locally grown seasonal food. Watson expresses her disappointment that individuals are no longer learning to cook using traditional techniques. She discusses the traditional foods of the “heartland”, and details what foods were brought when various groups emigrated to the region.
Teresa Marrone discusses and reads excerpts from her book entitled Abundantly Wild: Collecting and Cooking Wild Edibles in the Upper Midwest. Marrone, who is passionate about foraging in the wild for food, details a few of the 75 plants that are covered in her book. She points out that she only discusses plants that she has had personal experience with, and warns of the concerns and precautions that foragers must take when searching for plants, both “to your own health and the health of the land.”
Marrone continues by discussing morel mushrooms—how to wash, prepare, store, and dry them. She also cautions foragers to check with park staff before foraging for morels on public lands.
During a question and answer session, Marrone discusses the pawpaw fruit, which taste and smell very similar to a banana. She also addresses the strategies for foraging for types of fiddlehead ferns and ground cherries. Watson talks further about the various cultures affecting foods in the Heartland, zeroing in on such groups as Native Americans and the Mung and Somali communities of Minneapolis.
The two women end by sharing how working with locally grown foods has changed their outlook on life. Marrone claims that foraging has made her more aware of the “creatures” that she shares the land with, and Watson points out that her experience with local foods has made her more aware of the seasons.
In: "Live from Prairie Lights" Audio Archive | Nonfiction
Authors: Lucia Watson , Teresa Marrone
Date Recorded: September 17, 2004
Works Read: Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland by Beth Dooley and Lucia Watson Abundantly Wild: Collecting and Cooking Wild Edibles in the Upper Midwest by Teresa Marrone
Program: Live From Prairie Lights
Format: reading
Contributors: Introduction by host Julie Englander.
Note: This reading was co-sponsored by the Field to Family Festival.