I can’t wait to read this! A few years ago I wrote a blog post about the African influence on Southern American cooking (with a dinner party, to boot): http://voodooandsauce.com/?p=1716

Barbara, I think he meant dock (as in Rumex spp.), not burdock (as in Arctium spp.). Dock does work great!

Jan, I’m pretty sure jewelweed does grow in BC - I’ve seen it growing all over western Oregon and Washington, and it’s listed by the USDA PLANTS database as growing from California all the way north to Alaska.

Thanks, Becky. That’s a good tip. I never cut them all the way at the bottom - I snip just the apical tips which encourages axillary growth, resulting in a bushier, more productive plant. I still always wear gloves. :)

Thank you so much, Joan! I’ve never seen mulberries here, but they’re actually in the same botanical family as figs.

I have never exhausted the vent on my 23 qt Presto, but haven’t had any issues yet. I’ll keep this in mind next time, though!

Ginger, there isn’t really a difference. I have used my canner to cook beans, and I have used the pan-in-pot method to make smaller meal inside a giant pressure canner. However, you should never use a countertop pressure cooker for canning.

I keep my duck and chicken fats in a tub in the freezer so I can spoon some out to use for things like roux. You’ll get best bechamel and country gravy EVER if you make your roux with duck fat. A little bit in mashed potatoes is amazing, too.

In Portland, Pastaworks sells duck fat by the pound, but you can buy duck legs at good Chinese groceries (like Fubonn) for a song.

Chanterelles don’t grow in lawns, btw.