by Michelle Sproule | While there are tasty things to be collected year round in BC, spring brings with it incomparable bounty and deliciousness. Think spruce tips, pea shoots, morel mushrooms, fiddleheads, yarrow, berries, edible flowers, and so much more. It’s an awesome time for foraging, so a big crew from The Acorn – including owner Shira Blustein, chef Rob Clarke, sous chef Brian Luptak, several servers, bartenders and kitchen staffers – recently set out along the banks of the Fraser River with master forager Alexander McNaughton to see what they could find. I was happy, once again, to tag along (I also went in search of shrooms with them last Fall).

Alexander marched the team through a number of riparian fields and forested areas to find wild rose, field pea shoots, sorrel, lovage, elderflower, and yarrow, as well as a few rogue chives, even a strawberry or two. Spring foraging is kinder and considerably less dangerous than other seasons (the sharp thorns of summer blackberry bushes and potentially deadly autumn mushrooms immediately come to mind), but it’s still important to know what you’re picking. Sure those look like lovely sorrel leaves, but are they going in an area that relies on water contaminated by industrial run-off? McNaughton is always careful to remind people how important it is to be aware of what they’re picking. “Foraging is sexy right now, but it’s a serious business.” he says.

Back at the restaurant, the kitchen team takes the day’s haul and crafts a fresh and beautifully balanced Harvest Plate of beet-dyed couscous with foraged pea tips and flowers, Elderflower-poached turnips, and fiddleheads with a yarrow cashew cream – all paired with a Sakura Iced Tea that sees tart cherry bark syrup, wild rose blossom tea, and a little citrus (with or without gin). Both were amazing, naturally. Take a look…

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER