- [Announcer] This program made possible by Forest River.

We have always been dedicated to helping people experience the joy of the outdoors by building a full range of recreational vehicles.

At Forest River your needs, interest, and lifestyle are at the forefront of everything we do.

Forest River, follow the river.

To learn more visit forestriver.tv.

- Hey, everyone on "Les Stroud's Wild Harvest" I do get the opportunity to show you some tips and some techniques for gathering wild edibles.

This is not the be all and end all for what you need to know to gather from the wilderness or do local foraging.

There are risks associated, including getting bitten by mosquitoes.

The only way to do this properly is to read your books, go online, but most importantly, to seek out a local expert.

You will find someone in your area, I guarantee, that is passionate about wild edible plants and let them show you the way to enjoying and partaking of the wild harvest.

(gentle piano music) I think sometimes that gathering from the wild, wild edible plants, seems a little bit it mystical, out of reach.

Let's take something simple, maple syrup.

Everybody knows maple syrup.

It's ubiquitous, you see it in all the stores.

What if instead, you could enjoy that syrup bounty of your own accord?

What if you could just take one tree one bucket, one day, and gather and make your own maple syrup bounty?

Enough for your family to have it on their pancakes the next morning.

It's just that sometimes demystifying connection to nature through gathering wild edible plants, well, that's the first step into the mystical world of the wild harvest.

(gentle piano music) (upbeat music) Yeah, so I think we're gonna end up with three foraged ingredients.

You know that we're going to be dealing with the maple trees-- - Right.

- and the maple syrup.

But I've also hinted to you that we can utilize just the sap itself, right?

So in that way we get kind of like two different ingredients out of this one bit of forging.

I have still got a few buckets of up.

Here's what I want you to do, taste the sap.

- I've never done that before.

- Okay, well, this is your chance and those of us who tap trees and make syrup, we can't not do it 'cause it's delicious.

So just take the bucket, have a sip.

Okay, yeah, sure.

It's kind of like a sweet water.

So go find a bucket and enjoy.

(gentle music) - This is a first for me.

(gentle music) It's like sweet water.

There's not a lot to it.

But, I have an idea, I can use this.

(gentle music) - Well, a couple of pointers, south side of the tree.

And you just think about where the sun is in the sky, where it arcs around, and you can kind of imagine it on the tree.

So sun's over here, arcs around the sky.

Where does the sun hit this tree?

Clear some of the bark.

Right about here and I'm going to angle it so it goes just slightly up, on a bit of an angle.

(drill squeaking) Now I don't think the sap is going to be dripping right this moment.

The weather's been changing a lot.

Not bad, little touch more.

I kinda go by feel.

And of course if I start drilling into the tree and it's on a day when the sap is truly running it'll just start pouring out.

In fact, sometimes within the first four seconds of turning the drill, the sap starts oozing out of the hole.

It's a beautiful thing to see, actually.

That should do.

There we go.

That's a beautiful hole.

That's it, on goes the bucket.

Beautiful!

At some point soon I should hear drip, drip, drip.

And that's a beautiful sound.

There are days when it actually looks like they're all little faucets, it pours out so quickly.

And other days you go back and it's been a few hours and there's only a 1/4 inch more sap.

So it changes all the time.

That's the magic of gathering maple sap, you have to kind of, if you pardon the pun, go with the flow.

I'll leave you with that.

In a band wrapping around the planet through most temperate forests, there are around 132 species of maple.

And even though they don't all produce sugar filled sap, most of the species in North America do.

The sugar maple of course, is the king of the sap producing maples.

- You know, and I find that always it's the same sort of sensation when I sit in a forest.

I have a chance to smell.

Acknowledge you know how, how aromatically pleasing it is.

But in this case, it's a time of year that I'm not used to.

I'm not out in this part of the world that often.

And to, to look at trees that are growing without their leaves is fascinating.

And looking around, it's like I see new life coming out of the leaves.

Today there's, there's something different in the air, however.

I smell smoke and I, I smell candy.

It's kind of getting me excited and a little bit hungry.

- Look at all this beautiful sap.

What I want the sap to be doing is to be on a slow boil, like this one right here.

[Paul] Okay.

That is ideal.

A nice, slow rumble boil.

So to get enough sap for this I had my friend Bushman Bob gather sap.

Now he was here during the season.

I couldn't get here on time.

That's why I'm only getting the last of the season.

(upbeat music) - Mother Nature's golden nectar.

(upbeat music) - I gotta try this.

Oh, I have to do this for you.

- Yeah, this is a really nice thing to do, actually.

Oh, that's nice.

I can smell the maple.

Mm!

(gentle music) - It's like sweetened maple tea.

- This is gonna be good.

- It's delicious.

(gentle music) - Okay, it's time Paul, it's time.

Yeah, doesn't that smell great?

- It does.

- That's when you know you're making maple syrup right there.

Oh yeah.

Look at that amber color.

- Liquid gold.

- Oh, beautiful.

I love it when it starts to just get that syrupy look to it.

It's beautiful.

Okay, you wanna check out all our ingredients?

- Yep.

We still got one more from my pantry.

An old favorite of yours.

Okay, I'm intrigued.

- Yeah, well, I told you already milkweed is coming back to you again.

This is a wonderful little bounty of immature milkweed pods.

So last summer after you and I had done some gathering and some cooking together, the milkweed was changing it's stages.

So I went out to yet another milkweed area.

I was very judicious in my harvesting.

I gathered only one of these from every plant.

And these are baby milkweed pods.

- It's really clean.

- Yeah.

- Like the the liquid has that sort of raw broccoli flavor.

- Yeah, I am going to head back and get a little one burner stove that I can work this on tomorrow.

In the meantime, enjoy your ingredients, and you can daydream on what you might wanna do with them all.

- This is the one I'm really excited about.

When I tasted the maple sap, first thing I thought is to celebrate that tree I can use it as a base for a brine.

For example, pastrami would be one of those cuts of meats that would be cured in brine.

Brines are easy, usually salt, sugar, liquid.

In this case, we got salt and the maple sap.

Should be just about right.

Okay, that should do it.

Now into the brine.

[Les] Cooking and playing with it and ah... (gentle piano music) - Paul, check this out.

So I brought up my old camp stove.

This has been on a thousand canoe trips with me.

And it has kept me warm and dry, and cooked my food for many many years.

So I thought, you know what?

This is a nice controlled fire.

I'm just going to continue to reduce the sap down to syrup over this little wood stove right here.

- [Paul] Les, can I have a taste of that?

- [Les] It's not ready yet.

It's still pretty thin, still pretty watery.

- Oh, that's okay.

I need some sugar for an idea I have.

Oh, Les, that's great.

- You sure?

- Oh, that's gonna work perfectly for what I need.

Beautiful.

I've got some Brie here.

This is something that I did at the restaurant a lot over the past 20 years.

Now, the ultimate is the Brie melted with maple syrup.

So I'm gonna take some of this and I'm gonna kind of gently baste the Brie with it.

And then my hope is because I'm cooking on cast iron, it's gonna be reduced and turn into a syrup all on its own.

Yeah, that's coming along really well.

(gentle music) Black and pink peppercorn.

Lastly, just a little salt.

(gentle music) This is a chance for me to play with the young milkweed pods.

The flavor that they have on their own is so delicious.

I think it's gonna work perfectly with the Brie and the maple syrup.

There you go, look at that.

(gentle music) Great snack time.

There you go!

- Good, thank you.

Ooh, yeah!

All right, well tell me what it is I'm gonna eat and then you can carry on with your cooking.

- It is Brie that's been basted with the not maple syrup, [Les] Okay.

But now it is almost like maple candy.

- [Les] Oh, oh yeah, that looks good!

(gentle music) - Good one?

- Good snack.

Thanks, buddy, this is amazing.

- [Paul] What do you think of the pods?

- You know, the pods, you know what they're adding?

They're adding texture.

And I'll be honest, these milkweed pods with just your syrup covering on their own would've been an amazing little treat.

- Oh, good to know.

- Without the bread, without the Brie.

So I know what you're doing here.

This is a classic Brie treat, but I'm saying on their own, a total win.

Ah, it's delicious!

(gentle music) - I'm making a sauce out of purple top turnips and maple syrup.

To go with the boar that I brined last night, I've got an idea where it's kind of a play on a honey mustard, except this will be a maple mustard sauce, to tie the boar, the carrots, and the sauce all into this maple themed entree.

(gentle music) How's the maple syrup clarification process coming?

- Will be ready soon.

Paul, can you please bring the strainer?

- Yeah.

- All right, there we go.

Let's do this Liquid gold, my friend liquid gold.

So you're just shy of three cups.

There we go.

- Oh, your timing is perfect 'cause I need it right now.

We're making a quick little maple sauce to go with all the wonderful grilled items I have on the go with the syrup.

Salt.

(gentle music) That works really well.

I'm just mashing up the turnip.

Make sure it's soft enough that when I add the maple syrup, it will have a smooth texture on the pallet.

And now some maple syrup.

Back on the heat.

(gentle music) Time to get the boar.

(meat sizzling) (gentle music) I'm gonna move these to the lower deck, where the heat's a little more gentle.

(pods sizzling) (gentle music) Those are great!

(gentle music) - All set for me, Paul?

- Yes, sir.

Your timing is impeccable.

- What you got for me?

- This is the story of maple.

This entire meal is layers of maple flavor.

Here you go.

- Whoa, that looks beautiful!

Wow, I love it when I'm surprised.

How do I eat this?

All together mush it in or individually?

- I would definitely have the milkweed pods as a bite.

And they're such gems-- - On their own?

- Yeah, have one on their own and then go over to, to the boar.

So what you have carrots, milkweed pods, purple top turnip, which was cooked and simmered in maple syrup, a maple syrup vinegarette.

And the boar tenderloin was brined in maple sap.

- Okay, all right, so this is maple all around.

Mmm.

(gentle music) Mmm.

(gentle music) I was worried it was going to have nothing but pork flavor and maybe the maple would be lost.

But as I chew it, as it goes through my taste buds, the boar did not win out at all.

Your maple sauce and dressing, all of that together has completely won out and it's got a sweetness to it.

You know, sometimes meat can be sweet.

In this case, the sweetness in this boar has been enhanced by the maple syrup infusion that you've got going on here.

I've also got a flavor with this milkweed pod I haven't had before.

And isn't that one of the best things.

Every time we discover new wild edible plants like, "Well, it's kinda like parsnip," "It's kind of like spinach."

It's like, no, it's its own thing.

Clean fork, Kevin, you gotta try this.

(gentle music) Yeah?

Isn't that the coolest thing?

- [Kevin] What is that?

- I know, edamame, green bean, broccoli, hint of Brussels sprout, but it's its own thing!

It's the best when it's its own flavor and you're not trying to make it taste like anything else.

That was, this was- Okay, Paul, I'm sorry, but you did it, man!

This is a knock out of the park.

I love this.

When you're making something with a wild edible like this, you're nailing it so often now and not losing the wild flavor.

- Sometimes it is about the ingredients.

(gentle music) So I've got an idea which is a play on a maple cheesecake.

It's not gonna be baked, it's gonna be poached.

And right now it's a little chilly outside.

So my cheese is actually hard, so I'm just gonna warm it up, melt it, and then add some eggs.

(gentle music) Perfect!

(gentle music) So the bain-marie, essentially is a hot water bath used for either poaching or steaming.

The reason I've got the plastic on top is to help keep things out, debris out, but as it's cooking, I want the moisture to stay in.

(gentle music) There we go.

The way to tell that this dessert is done is by gently tilting it side to side, and just making sure that it's set.

If it's a little liquidy in the inside it's gotta cook a tad bit longer.

In this case it's perfect.

Now, for the final maple syrup moment, some agar agar powder.

Now I just have to bring that to a boil.

Some walnuts.

Dry it up with some oats.

(gentle music) Oh, that's perfect.

(gentle music) Now we're just waiting for that to boil.

That's amazing, the heat that comes off that.

Just that one move right there.

[Paul] It's boiling, look at this.

It's happening.

- [Les] There we go.

- [Paul] It's happening now.

All right, that's it.

So this is kind of resembling maple toffee.

The walnut crunch.

And it's ready eat.

(gentle music) - Ooh, this looks good!

- There you go, the finale.

- Tell me what I'm looking at.

- It's mimicked maple toffee on top of a maple cheesecake with a maple walnut crunch.

- Ah, all at once I suppose, eh?

- Dig in!

- Well it looks fantastic.

(fire crackling) It's all there.

The texture, the balance, and it's definitely maple.

There's no question about it.

What inspired this?

- The one thing I've always wanted to do was make maple taffee.

But the snow's gone.

So I wanted to kind of mimic that experience.

So I reduced maple syrup and I thickened it with agar agar, which is a seaweed based powder.

Mmm gosh, as you know, I'm a sweet nut.

I love my desserts and I'm critical on desserts, especially anything with the words cheesecake in it.

As I like to say, I'm a cheesecake snob.

So you can't pass something by me and call it cheesecake and have it not hit the mark.

Do you like it?

- I do like it.

- Yeah.

Would you change anything if you had to do it again?

Yeah.

[Les] What would you change?

I'd amp up the maple.

- Ask and you shall receive.

- Cheers, that's it.

- Look at this.

See, it's still a touch thin, but oh, Yeah this is just going to work so well.

(gentle music) Mm, that last touch of the maple syrup.

- Yeah, it was a touch of magic!

- Is when I feel really, really spoiled, my friend.

Now was this easy for Chef Paul working with maple syrup in the kitchen?

Done it a thousand times before.

Well kind of, yeah, that's the whole point.

It doesn't have to be complicated or difficult.

From start to finish tree to bucket to your stove top, seven, eight, maybe nine hours.

Then there you are with your own wild crafted maple syrup, pouring over a pancake.

You know what?

The process does not remove the mystical nature of gathering from the wild.

If anything, you begin to understand the mystery of it all.

The mystery of the connection from tree to tree to tree to you.

And there you are again, celebrating the maple tree with the sweetest of the wild harvest.

(gentle music) (upbeat music) (cameraman laughing) - Oh, that's not supposed to happen!

I know how to work these (beep) snowshoes!

(beep) you, Stroud!

You set up the trip wire, didn't ya?

(laughing) - [Les] If you'd like to continue the wild harvest with me and Chef Paul Rogalski, then please check out our website at wildharvestfilms.com, where we have recipes and foraging tips along with deleted scenes and outtakes from the making of "Les Stroud's Wild Harvest."

- [Announcer] Directly inspired by the series, Chef Paul and expert forager Les Stroud bring you the "Wild Harvest Season Two Recipe Book," highlighting all of Paul's dishes and complete with behind the scenes stories, It is available for 29.99.

In addition, a DVD of this season is also available for 19.99.

To order, please go to wildharvestfilms.com, Wild Harvest TV Show on Facebook, or Les Stroud's Wild Harvest on YouTube.

(gentle music) (insects chirping) (birds chirping) - [Announcer] This program made possible by Forest River.

We have always been dedicated to helping people experience the joy of the outdoors by building a full range of recreational vehicles.

At Forest River, your needs, interest, and lifestyle are at the forefront of everything we do.

Forest River, follow the river.

To learn more visit forestriver.tv.

(logo whooshing) (bright music)