Have you ever wondered how we humans managed to survive before boxed breakfast cereal or skinless, boneless chicken breasts neatly packed in styrofoam and plastic wrap? Or have you ever taken a walk in the woods, or along a stream and questioned what around you might be edible?

If so, you should get to know Hank Shaw. Or pick up a copy of his new book Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast. More than a cookbook, though there are plenty of recipes, and more than a memoir, though the book is filled with personal stories, Hunt, Gather, Cook is an introduction to a different way of “doing” food. Hank Shaw grows, forages, hunts, or fishes almost all of his food. Remember that old Grape Nuts commercial with Euell Gibbons? (“Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.”) Fast forward 40 years and you have Hank, stalking the wild world around him, foraging for wild greens, hunting rabbits, and digging for clams. Oh yes, and like Euell, eating parts of pine trees (pine nuts)!

Continue reading "Hank Shaw – Hunt, Gather, Cook" »