Foraging In Hispanic Families: Circa 1910 to 1945

Marginalized cultures with little means to expand the food larder often resorted to the practice of foraging. Often, entire families would search hillside, forest, meadow, and even desert for foods that could be cooked or preserved. We will learn about the foraged foods and herbs that sustained and empowered the culture during the early 20th century and explore foraging recipes and stories from Garcia's family. Escaped rosemary from the old missions and ranchos was free for the taking and feral artichokes had to be boiled for several hours with the water being changed to remove bitterness. Other commonly foraged foods included fennel root (the seeds were used in holiday cookies and Pan Dulce), wild onions and garlic often eaten raw from the Los Angeles hills, and black walnuts eaten atop ice cream or coated in honey filched from a wild hive.