As a part of my two-week road trip around the southeastern United States, I arrived to Asheville one June night having driven just over an hour from Newland, a small village in the mountains of North Carolina that was perfect for my friend’s wedding. Along the way, I stopped to visit my friend Nic near Little Switzerland, the perfect name for this rural mountain town with gorgeous views. To get to her lofty cabin in the woods, Grane (pronounced “Gra-neh”) and I had to ford three streams on a private road. A couple years prior, I had given my Subaru Forrester this name while recovering from my divorce. The name of Brünnhilde’s horse, Grane, seemed perfect for a vehicle that would help me navigate my way through troublesome circumstances. This was not lost on me, when I came to a locked gate after making it across yet another rather swiftly moving stream. I called my friend and was told that I had come “the difficult way”. Concerned Grane might not make it through the fourth, and deepest stream, I turned around and followed Nic back to the main road to pursue “the easy way”.
This adventure off the beaten path nourished my soul in a way that only deep woods can. I loved what seemed like a million shades of green, the sounds of running water, rustling leaves and bird singing and the smell of fresh and clean air. Having already booked my Asheville accommodations, as well as a three-hour foraging tour, I became excited about experiencing the woods in a different, more intimate way.
I enjoyed my day with Nic, sipping tea and watching hummingbirds on her deck with an amazing view of the surrounding mountains. We also shared poetry we had written during rough times in our lives and ate delicious wood-fired pizza with housemade vegan cheese from Hog Hollow in nearby Burnsville before I continued on my way to Asheville and checked into my AirBnb. I was excited for the next day.
Foraging Tour
I had booked a Foraging Tour with No Taste Like Home. Our instructions for this 3-hour tour in the woods was to wait patiently, and on the edge of our seats, til the evening before to discover the location of the foraging adventure the following day. I was warned that the meet-up point could be as far as an hour away. Having just gotten out of the car, I was hoping for a closer venue to my temporary home. But, alas the email came and we were to meet at Earthaven Ecolodge about 50 minutes southeast of my Airbnb. The thought of an additional 2 hours of driving to my road trip didn’t exactly enthrall me, but I was assured that “the drive was beautiful and worth it”. So, I braved rush hour traffic and as I saw the colorful morning sky appear over the nearby mountains, I was already happy with the destination. The drive only got better once I exited the highway and drove along curvy mountain roads through lush forest.
The foraging tour was to include a guided hike through the woods with a brief cooking lesson and tasting at the end. We were to collect wild edible ingredients that we could then take to an Asheville area restaurant with the promise that they would create an appetizer with our “catch of the day”. Upon reading that this deal required the purchase of an entree, I began calling the restaurants on the No Taste Like Home website. Sadly, and frankly surprisingly, none of the listed restaurants were vegan, so I was hoping that at least one listed eatery offered a vegan option. After hearing “I think the bread is vegan” and “we don’t cater to vegans”, I finally reached a very friendly woman at Tastee Diner. She seemed happy, and even proud, to be able to list off the several vegan items on their menu. I made a reservation for 6pm and told them to expect me to drop off my found wild ingredients by 2pm, as is requested on the website.
With all this in mind, I slowly drove through the Earthhaven Ecolodge dirt road to the meetup point. I met Dimitri, our guide, and Kristen, who greeted me with a glass of tea. (She had prepared some specially for me without honey after being told to expect a vegan in the group that day.) Kristen also gave me a green foraging basket and my excitement grew. I wondered what I might fill it with in the subsequent three hours.
Dimitri began by asking us if we had ever eaten wild food before, and I mentioned the beautyberries in my backyard, as well as fiddleheads. He then showed us a shoehorn oyster mushroom that he happened to notice near him before we headed out to an unassuming field, where he pointed out a small plant that looked to me like a three-leaf clover. But, apparently it was a called a wood sorrel and it surprisingly had a lemony flavor. Dimitri told us that wood sorrel is rich in vitamin C and historically was used to treat scurvy, fevers, urinary tract infections, mouth sores, nausea and sore throats. Our first collective task was to find more wood sorrel and place it into a small paper bag we had been given with the promise that everything collected would be divided among all ten group members at the end of the tour.
In the same field, our knowledgeable guide showed us a leaf called plantain, which apparently grows in fields throughout the world. Dimitri recommended that we cook it with oil and garlic salt until they are crispy and become like kale chips. Others claimed it had a mushroom flavor, but I thought it tasted like grass. Plantain can be used to combat stings by placing the chewed up leaves directly on the bite so the properties can draw out the venom. We were told it works for mosquito bites too.
Only a short distance away we came across mountain mint, a type of mint that reportedly has a more complex flavor than other mint varieties. For this reason, it’s great in tea. Dimitri recommended adding this bold mint to watermelon or stews (like a bay leaf). Apparently, the Cherokee used it like smelling salt by putting the leaves directly in one’s nostrils.
We came across our first flower, the ox eye daisy with a yellow “disc floret” in the center surrounded by a ray floret of delicate white petals. While the leaves off the stem can be used in tabouli and taco seasoning, the flowers are edible too and can be used in soups. Plus, the pretty petals make a great garnish. It was easy to collect this plant as the bright colors stood out in a field of green.
Our next edible plant was the spice bush, a plant that frankly I would easily just pass on by while walking in the forest. I might have even avoided it for fear that it was actually poison ivy. I’m a bit ashamed to admit it, but although it has been pointed out to me many times by various people throughout my life, I still can not distinguish the itch-inducing plant from others and have thus developed a healthy fear of all plants with broad leaves. But our trusty guide clearly did not have this problem at all and picked some leaves without a care in the world. Knowledge is indeed power. I learned that you can strip the leaves and put the stems in rice while cooking it to create a delicious aromatic-flavored rice. The Cherokee also used spice bush for tea by simmering the leaves in boiling water (as opposed to simply pouring boiling water over the leaves) for about 30-40 minutes.
A dainty flower called quick weed caught my attention in both beauty and taste. To me, it tasted like Jerusalem artichokes and we were told that it would make a good green in a sauté. I decided this would be one of the three found ingredients I would give the chef at Tastee Diner.
After a short walk past some fruit trees, including some with ready to pick mulberries on them, our guide introduced us to the wood nettle, apparently the cousin of the stinging nettle. Dimitri promised us that this was indeed an edible plant (with an earthy mineral taste), but that you can only eat it if you cook it so the heat can break down the stingers. It was here that Dimitri sang an opera aria that he had composed about plants. I loved how much he seemed to enjoy what he does.
We were given 30 minutes to go off on our own and forage with our recently gained knowledge. I headed right for the mulberry trees, with the intent of making mulberries one of my three ingredients. I also decided to include wood nettles, hoping the combination would offer the chef a challenge.
I also used some of the free time to simply enjoy being in the woods. I had worn high muck boots and so was able to ford a little stream to a small bamboo forest. I loved standing among the tall stalks listening to the sounds they made when the wind whipped through.
Dimitri let out a call that echoed through the forest, signaling us to come back together before we headed over to a small pavilion where the cooking demonstration was to be held. We were told to lay out all that we had collected and we reviewed each plant.
Kristen and Dimitri created a very elegant and flavorful snack from the ingredients we had collected. We also got to try a colorful day lily, that I think tasted like peach. We were served sautéd greens on a rice cracker with the beautiful orange day lily leaves on top. Dimitri also showed us how to crack open black walnuts using a nearby rock.
Before heading back to Asheville, we were allowed to pick which ingredients we’d like to take with us. I chose some of the black walnuts I had successfully cracked open, some plantain for mosquito bites and the three ingredients I intended to bring to Tastee Diner for my “find-dining” appetizer: mulberries, quick weed and wood nettles.
“Find-Dining” at the Tastee Diner
I stepped into the diner with my paper bag of ingredients and asked to see the chef. It was there that I first met Josh, who took my items and didn’t seem at all worried about how to combine my “catch of the day”. I told him that I was vegan and that I’d be back at 6pm, eager to see what he would create for me! I went back to my AirBnb, only a short distance away, where I enjoyed a little downtime before dinner.
A friendly waitress introduced herself at my chosen outside table and I told her that I had given Chef Josh some ingredients from the foraging tour and she knew exactly who I was. Much like the woman I had spoken to on the phone, she was happy to point out the vegan options on the menu. In addition to my “find-dining” appetizer, I ordered their roasted rainbow carrots, that was described as a carry curry with vegan brie and “crunchy bizness” and baba ganoush with pappadum and pickles.
I sipped on my hibiscus lemonade and checked out my surroundings, soaking up the environment as I waited with anticipation for my appetizer. The music was upbeat and the vibe was friendly with a happy hour feeling. I was also delighted to see that Tastee Diner was celebrating Pride month, offering a drink called Move, I’m Gay, which was described as vodka-cultivated cocktails with coffee liqueur, iced-coffee and oat milk. The proceeds of this drink went to the Campaign for Southern Equality. If I weren’t driving, I would have tried this cocktail, even if nothing more than to simply donate to this LGBTQ+ friendly group fighting for our rights.
Finally, the moment arrived! Chef Josh personally came to my table with the dish he had created with my found ingredients. He proceeded to describe the dish in a way that made him sound like he was on an episode of Chopped, “I prepared for you a homemade vegan wood nettle pasta with pickled tomatoes and pickled mulberries, some mulberry reduction and quick weed as a garnish. I hope you enjoy your meal.”
And I did. I loved every aspect of this dish. I loved how beautiful and colorful it looked, I loved the mixture of textures and balance of flavors with no one flavor overpowering any other, and I loved that I played a key role in my appetizer. I enjoyed the other dishes I had ordered as well, especially the vegan brie and the crunchiness of “the bizness”.
What a wonderful day it had been! I fell asleep knowing that I had experienced one of the absolute highlights of my 2-week road trip around the southeast. I was also excited for the adventures I had set up for myself for the following day.
Dry Falls
The subsequent morning began early as I had a long drive ahead of me, where I planned to be in Montgomery, Alabama after 6 hours of driving, with a stop in Atlanta for lunch. I decided to take a little bit of a detour to see the Dry Falls in the morning light. I’m so glad I did!
About 1.5 hours west of Asheville, the Dry Falls can be found in the Nantahala National Forest. After lots of twists and turns on narrow mountain roads, I arrived at 8:45am and was the only one there. Little did I know that I was in for quite a sensual experience. As soon as I opened the car door, I could hear the rush of the water spill over onto the rocks below and enjoyed the distinct smell of freshly wet plants. The air felt cool and brisk. After paying the $3 for parking, I began the journey down the steps to the Dry Falls. I felt refreshing droplets of water as I approached, and I loved experiencing the falls from behind them. With the moist cave-like rock to my back, I closed my eyes and listened to the water literally rush over me. What a great way to start the day!
Vegan Vixen Ventures 