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I loved monitoring the dandelions in my yard so I could gather them for a salad. It all ended when I eventually had to mow.

“Wildman” Steve Brill knows how I feel. Back in the ‘80s, he got arrested for eating a dandelion while leading a foraging class in a New York park. Now he’s released a book on how to find, gather and cook amazing stuff in “The Wild Vegan Cookbook: A Forager’s Culinary Guide (in the Field or in the Supermarket) to Preparing and Savoring Wild (and Not So Wild) Natural Foods.

The title is a mouthful, but wait until you get a mouthful of Crabapple Custard, Wild Raisin-Stuffed Squash, Quinoa with Shaggy Manes and Black Walnut Spread.

Adventuresome cooks and diners could spend years going through this 500-page book and traveling around to get the good stuff. You can start now with an easy spice blend.

Despite his skills, Brill was frustrated by losing his curry powder recipe. He found it under the fridge when it got replaced. Here it is, to share with all:

Curry Powder

6 tablespoons coriander seeds

6 tablespoons turmeric

3 tablespoons cumin seeds

3 tablespoons cardamom seeds

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

4 dried chiles or 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

 2 tablespoons ground dried wild ginger or regular ginger

Simply grind the whole spices and chiles in a spice grinder and mix them with the ground ginger. Store in a tightly closed jar at room temperature. After a few months, it’ll lose some strength, so you’ll have to use more curry powder to achieve this same effect. Makes 1 1/2 cups.



My bacon burger

I got treated to Christian’s Tailgate Bar & Grill in Houston and shared the country fried bacon burger and onion rings with my husband. I imagined the bacon would come in strips, but wait … there were battered hunks of bacon so big it looked like fried catfish sharing space with that 1/2 pound of meat.

I’m sure it’s implied that it was delicious.

If you go, take an eating partner.