Yeehaw! What an amazing weekend at the 32nd Annual North Carolina Wild Foods Weekend. The summer Festival scenes are just starting and I would encourage you all to include some of the many wild food gatherings around the country into your summer and fall travel plans. You can go to the Resources section of this website to locate some upcoming festivals. Nothing like winning a pie contest when no one else enters the competition! Above is a photo taken right after winning my $25 prize for the contest. Below is the recipe for this savory pie. It makes enough crust and filling for 2 small pie dishes.

Curly Dock Pie

Crust
1 c curly dock flour
1 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c + 3 T butter
4 T cold water

Use fingers to mix flours and butter together. Then add cold water 1 Tablespoon at a time until thoroughly mixed. Store in refrigerator for a few hours or a few days until needed. Roll out dough and put into pie dishes. Bake in 425 degree preheated oven for roughly 10 minutes. Tap down any bubbles that form before it cools. Cool crust and turn oven down to 350 degrees.

Filling
4 c curly dock greens, chopped
1/2 c wild garlic tops, chopped
4 pieces bacon
2 c cream
6 eggs
2 c swiss cheese
1 t wild ginger powder
black pepper to taste

Steam curly dock greens for roughly 6 minutes. Cook bacon on low heat. Remove bacon, chop and place back into pan with chopped wild garlic tops; cook for roughly 1 minute. In mixing bowl beat eggs and cream. Then fold in cheese, bacon, wild garlic, wild ginger powder and black pepper. Pour into pie dishes with crusts and bake at 350 for roughly 25 minutes.

There were so many great kids at the North Carolina Wild Food Weekend. Below is Braxton, Milton’s grandson, holding a 4-leaf clover he had just found.