Fireweed shoots, morel mushrooms, and fiddleheads were some of the hand-picked local forest edibles in the stews created by a group of locals last weekend at the Tete-Jaune Lodge. One of the cooks, Ailie Beaudry, says they have been experimenting with Dutch Oven cooking all winter – creating everything from pies to bread to whole chickens.
The cast iron pots were used by families when they traveled by chuckwagons, Beaudry says, who specializes in local history and Canadian fur trade history. The method of cooking is especially practical in this region when there is a fire ban, since instead of hot coals from a fire, a person can light briquettes which slow-cook the food from the outside. Tender pork roast was one of the amazing items that came out of the pot last weekend.
Beaudry says they plan to offer demonstrations for locals and for tourists in the coming months.
