The Local Wild Food Challenge came to town and Savage Kitchen Maui was stoked to participate. There was something magical in the air as over 50 participants prepped their dishes for a panel of 4 judges. People had put much love and care into harvesting their own wild and local ingredients and the stories touched many hearts. We vended at the event and sold out of everything we had! I also gave a short talk on haole koa (Leucaena leucocephala)…its identification, location, processing and integration into the diet. The photo above is our entry, which contained 99% foraged ingredients ::

The wild boar was cooked in its own fat, then rolled in bull thistle (Circium vulgare) flowers and powdered mallow greens (Malva parviflora). It’s as if you’ve been transported to the forest floor, and a green truffle surprise awaits. Laying in a bed of nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) and oxalis (Oxalis debilis) greens. Dancing in on vibrant vibrations are the petals of spanish needles (Bidens alba), turk’s cap (Malvaviscus penduliflorus), self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) and like sundrops from the mist-filled forest close to Maui’s heavenly home are evening primrose (Oenethera stricta). Bits of slippery jacks (Suillus granulatus) and white wood ear (Tramella fuciformis) adding texture. Then for the broth pour-over…

Dashi depth comes from the land and sea. Cat’s ear roots (Hypochaeris radicata) pulling up deep minerals from their high elevation home, and sea lettuce (Ulva rigida) harvested from the intertidal zone where land and sea meet in a giant pulsing motion. The broth is rounded out with four different mushrooms. Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor), wood ear (Auricularia cornea), and white wood ear (Tramella fuciformis) from the jungles of Huelo played peek-a-boo for an afternoon foray. The slippery jacks (Suillus granulatus) revealed themselves as a change in the lighting of the forest, the sound of birds chirping, and the smell of mycorrhizae in the air. It was that feeling of knowing before you know.

 

Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) limu harvested on Maui’s north shore.

 

And to that dashi was added haole koa (Leucaena leucocephala) miso…this was the first time we shared our miso!