Year of Plenty: Traditional Foodways

Join the Mountain Forager course waitlist: https://www.theyearofplenty.com/courses

In this episode of the Year of Plenty Podcast, we’re coming to you live from Feral Feast 2026 for a wild food chef panel with Antonin Filicetti, Anna Borgman, and Tyler McManus. We explore how to cook with wild plants, mushrooms, fish, and wild game while making these ingredients more approachable for beginners.

The conversation also dives into overlooked wild game cuts, common cooking mistakes, preserving wild foods, and the deeper stories behind wild food, traditional foodways, and our relationship with the land.

Episode Overview:
The wild foods that first got each chef excited about cooking from the land
Where beginners should start when cooking with wild ingredients
Cooking and preserving wild trout, berries, mushrooms, and game
Why chanterelles are a favorite wild mushroom and how to make chanterelle butter
Why wild game cheeks, neck meat, and heart are worth saving
How to braise game cheeks and slow-cook wild game neck
Cooking wild game heart with marinades, skewers, and tartare
Why waterfowl can be difficult to cook and how to avoid overcooking it
Vacuum sealing versus paper wrapping wild game for the freezer
Turning accidentally overcooked morels into mushroom seasoning
How wild food chefs bring story, culture, and respect for ingredients into their cooking
Reconnecting with traditional food knowledge, the land, and community through food

Use code “yearofplenty” for 15% OFF at www.mtblock.com

MY ULTIMATE FORAGING GEAR LIST - Check it out

Leave a review on Apple or Spotify and send a screenshot to [email protected] to receive a FREE EBOOK with my favorite food preservation recipes.

Watch the Video Episode on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/22HWESbt-F0?is=fcy5RPFtFMG935f3

Sign up for the newsletter:
www.theyearofplenty.com/newsletter

Support the podcast via Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/yearofplenty

Subscribe to the Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@yearofplentyvideo

Do you follow the podcast on social media yet?
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bigforagingguy/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yearofplenty.foraging

In this episode of the Year of Plenty Podcast, we’re joined by Susan Poizner, certified arborist, fruit tree care educator, author, and host of The Orchard People Podcast. We explore how to choose, plant, and care for fruit trees that fit your climate, property, and goals so you can build a productive backyard orchard that lasts for decades.
Susan also shares lessons from her newest book, Designing a Fruit Tree Garden, and explains why thoughtful planning before planting can save growers years of frustration.
Episode Overview:
Why fruit trees are a powerful investment in long-term food resilience
How fruit tree grafting and rootstocks work
Choosing trees for your climate, hardiness zone, and available space
Self-pollinating trees versus trees that need a pollination partner
Where to buy healthy bare-root fruit trees
Native fruit trees and faster-producing varieties
Choosing the best location based on sunlight, soil, and drainage
Watering, fertilizing, composting, and mulching fruit trees
How to plant a grafted fruit tree correctly
Fruit tree pruning principles for beginners
Protecting trees from wildlife, pests, and disease naturally
Companion planting and creating a pollinator-friendly orchard
Use code “yearofplenty” for 15% OFF at www.mtblock.com

MY ULTIMATE FORAGING GEAR LIST - Check it out

Leave a review on Apple or Spotify and send a screenshot to [email protected] to receive a FREE EBOOK with my favorite food preservation recipes.

Watch the Video Episode on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/live/4EKA2PNWUtg?si=JhoWxSVMcDNgcLoM
Sign up for the newsletter:
www.theyearofplenty.com/newsletter
Support the podcast via Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/yearofplenty

Subscribe to the Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@yearofplentyvideo

Do you follow the podcast on social media yet?
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bigforagingguy/
X: https://x.com/yearofplentypod

I want to hear from you! Take the LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KZW53R

This episode is a conversation with Nick of North, a wild food chef, forager, and educator from Prince Edward Island who works at the intersection of cooking, ecology, and landscape literacy. Nick has built a unique career teaching chefs how to understand the landscapes around them and translate wild ingredients into meaningful food. His work focuses on flavor, aromatics, fermentation, and developing a deeper relationship with the land through cooking.

In this conversation, we explore Nick’s journey from working as a line cook in restaurants to becoming a forager who now teaches chefs around the world how to work with wild ingredients. We also dive into how landscape literacy can transform the way we cook, why many wild foods are misunderstood, and how learning to work with flavor, aroma, and seasonal timing can unlock entirely new possibilities in the kitchen.
Episode Overview:
How wild ingredients often enter restaurant kitchens — and the surprising problems chefs face when working with them
What landscape literacy actually means and why learning to read ecosystems changes the way you cook
Why understanding the environments plants grow in can make you a better forager and a more attentive cook
Nick’s method for learning plant identification by studying ecosystems instead of relying entirely on field guides
Why wild greens taste bitter — and how harvest timing and time of day can dramatically change flavor
How chefs can use wild aromatics, herbs, and plant materials to elevate dishes beyond basic ingredients
Creative ways to extract wild flavors into oils, vinegars, fats, and other cooking mediums
How plants like oak leaves can be used to add tannins for better pickling and food preservation
Why trusting your senses is one of the most important skills when fermenting and preserving food
The fear many beginners have about poisonous plants — and how learning just a few dangerous species can unlock confident foraging
How the same wild plant can taste completely different depending on where it grows
Why understanding plant families helps chefs cook unfamiliar wild foods more confidently
Why becoming a great forager is a lifelong process of learning, observation, and patience
Use code “yearofplenty” for 15% OFF at www.mtblock.com

MY ULTIMATE FORAGING GEAR LIST - Check it out

Leave a review on Apple or Spotify and send a screenshot to [email protected] to receive a FREE EBOOK with my favorite food preservation recipes.

Watch the Video Episode on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/live/n6C0k9XC5bA?si=pZkwtN5qSSq3xfHk
Sign up for the newsletter:
www.theyearofplenty.com/newsletter
Support the podcast via Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/yearofplenty

Subscribe to the Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@yearofplentyvideo

Do you follow the podcast on social media yet?
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bigforagingguy/
X: https://x.com/yearofplentypod

I want to hear from you! Take the LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KZW53R

This episode is a conversation with Hank Shaw, wild food chef, author, and the voice behind Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. Hank has spent decades hunting, fishing, foraging, and writing about wild ingredients, and his newest book, Borderlands, explores the rich food traditions stretching from the Rio Grande to the Pacific.

Episode Overview:
How did Hank Shaw go from political journalist to James Beard nominated wild food authority, and what pushed him to go all-in on hunting, fishing, and foraging
What does food sovereignty really mean in practice, and why does cutting out the middleman change how we relate to land, habitat, and wild places?
What exactly are the Borderlands, and why is this region between the United States and Mexico one of the most culturally rich and misunderstood food landscapes in North America?
What are the defining wild proteins of the Borderlands, from venison and quail to javelina and jackrabbit, and how are they traditionally prepared?
Why is seafood king in parts of the Borderlands, and what makes Gulf snook, smoked marlin, shellfish, and Baja style cooking so unique?
What are quelites, and which wild greens and indigenous food traditions still shape Borderlands cuisine today?
How do fire, mesquite coals, pit cooking, and slow grilling define Borderlands flavor?
What traditional preservation methods still matter in hot, dry climates, including salting wild chilies, drying and smoking meats, and burying ingredients in salt or sugar?
Which mushrooms can foragers find in the Borderlands during monsoon season, from porcini and lobster mushrooms to chanterelles and regional Amanitas?
Use code “yearofplenty” for 15% OFF at www.mtblock.com

MY ULTIMATE FORAGING GEAR LIST - Check it out

Leave a review on Apple or Spotify and send a screenshot to [email protected] to receive a FREE EBOOK with my favorite food preservation recipes.

Watch the Video Episode on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/live/WOqNe8ut90M?si=4fziqCsltuGbtiEA
Sign up for the newsletter:
www.theyearofplenty.com/newsletter
Support the podcast via Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/yearofplenty

Subscribe to the Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@yearofplentyvideo

Do you follow the podcast on social media yet?
IG: https://www.instagram.com/poldiwieland/
X: https://x.com/yearofplentypod

I want to hear from you! Take the LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KZW53R

This episode is a conversation with Robin Greenfield, activist, forager, and author of Food Freedom. Robin has spent years experimenting with what it means to step outside the industrial food system, first by growing and foraging all of his food for a year, and now by eating only wild food. In this conversation, we explore what food freedom actually looks like in practice, the role of community, and why food sits at the center of ecological and personal resilience.

Episode Overview:
Robin’s background and journey away from the industrial food system
Why food became the central focus of his activism and life experiments
What “food freedom” meant during his year of growing and foraging all of his food
The real challenges of food freedom, including time, processing, and preservation
Why community support is essential for living closer to the land
What motivated Robin to take the next step and eat only wild food for an entire year
How he plans calories, protein, fat, and nutrients on a wild food diet
Key wild food staples including wild rice, venison, fish, nuts, fruits, greens, and herbs
The hardest parts of eating wild food, including fat scarcity and food storage mistakes
How seasonality and travel shape his wild food strategy
Ethical foraging and reciprocity, including harvesting invasive species
Why learning individual plants matters more than following blanket foraging rules
How foraging can deepen connection, purpose, and gratitude for the natural world
Practical advice for beginner foragers who want to start building food resilience
Use code “yearofplenty” for 15% OFF at www.mtblock.com

MY ULTIMATE FORAGING GEAR LIST - Check it out

Leave a review on Apple or Spotify and send a screenshot to [email protected] to receive a FREE EBOOK with my favorite food preservation recipes.

Watch the Video Episode on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/live/UJ97dq8yVM0?si=huhuFqMRf7BkSs54
Sign up for the newsletter:
www.theyearofplenty.com/newsletter
Support the podcast via Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/yearofplenty

Subscribe to the Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@yearofplentyvideo

Do you follow the podcast on social media yet?
IG: https://www.instagram.com/poldiwieland/
X: https://x.com/yearofplentypod

I want to hear from you! Take the LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KZW53R