The Expat Fridge :: Stonecrop

THE PERISHABLE

Stonecrop

Growing up wild in Alaska and Tennessee, childhood was spent "living off the land" and/or "foraging" for foods in the woods around our houses.  (Which makes our last names of Rivers and Woods even funnier.)  In our adulthood, we've really missed wandering off into the trees and bring back a little something for the table.

In South Korea, this practice is alive and well.  There are entire dishes dedicated to eating off the land and many wild greens have been domesticated and are sold in grocery stores or served regularly in restaurants.  This can make eating out and shopping for salads a bit of a culture shock.  Most of the greens on your table or in the market are something you've never seen before.

One of the new "greens" we have fallen in love with is the succulent Stonecrop.  No, really it's a Succulent.  This rich and robustly flavored plant can be served alone with only a simply dressing and completely hold it's own.  No fanciness required.

You can do all sorts of things with Stonecrop and you can find different versions of it all over the world.  Here are a two pickling recipes you might even want to check out:

Stonecrop Wild Garlic Dill Pickles
Grandma's Icebox Sweet Pickles with Wild Succulents

We will be working on our own Stonecrop recipes as well since most of the information online is only about finding it and not about eating it.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT

Here is a boring and, well, slightly creepy video about how to forage for it in different parts of North America:

Or you can just grow it easily at home.

Of course, if you live in South Korea you can just pick it up at the grocery store or local market.  So there's also that.