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Gabriel | Wild Table BC

@wildtablebc

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997

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Chef + Farmer
20 years asking food too many questions.
I grow, forage & cook to pursue knowledge—and share what inspires me.

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I’ve grown nasturtiums for years. I’ve eaten the leaves and flowers, pickled the seed pods like capers, and generally thought I knew this plant pretty well.

Apparently not.

Fresh immature nasturtium seeds, crushed into a paste, are intensely peppery, floral, bright and surprisingly similar to fresh wasabi — but completely their own thing.

No special equipment. No obscure ingredient. Just something growing abundantly in the garden that I’d somehow overlooked.

This is exactly why I never get bored of food.

Stay curious. 🌱

#nasturtium #wasabi #sushi #curiosity #wildtablebc taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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2 months ago

12 lbs of cherries and absolutely no intention of eating them responsibly.

So I made my own maraschino cherries.

Now they sit for a month while the flavour works itself out and I pretend I’m a patient person.

See you in August. 🍒

#seasonalcooking #cherries #preserving #fromscratch #wildtablebc taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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3 months ago

No secrets here.

Just clean ingredients, a little patience…

…and resisting the urge to turn your stock pot into the vegetable retirement home.

Your future risotto says thanks.

#stock #chef #cookingtips #homecooking #wildtablebc taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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2 months ago

I’ve grown tomatoes for years. I’ve eaten them green, fried them, pickled them, fermented them, and spent an unreasonable amount of time waiting for the last ones to ripen.

Maybe ripening isn’t always the point?

Green tomatoes are firm, acidic, vegetal and full of underlying umami & glutamates just waiting to be exploited. And those characteristics are exactly what make them interesting right now.

No need for a brown paper bag ripening…Enter: green tomato kosho.

This isn’t traditional yuzu kosho—but that condiment is what gave me this idea..

Green tomatoes, green chiles, fresh green coriander seed, ginger and lime leaf, coarsely ground with salt and left to ferment. Gotta say, it’s pretty unbelievable.

Stay curious. 🌱

#greentomatoes #yuzukosho #fermentation #preserving #wildtablebc taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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7 days ago

What if blackberries were more interesting before they became sweet?

We’re surrounded by a massive crop of invasive blackberries right now—but many will meet their fate as cooler weather and increasing humidity arrive, eventually succumbing to botrytis.

While there is great beauty in the cycle of nature, there are also new opportunities to discover…

Underripe Blackberry Boshi

300g underripe blackberries, or another firm, acidic and astringent fruit
54g kosher salt
30g anise hyssop

Wash the blackberries well and dry thoroughly.

Combine everything and vacuum seal, or pack tightly into a clean jar, ensuring the fruit remains submerged beneath the liquid that forms as the salt draws out moisture.

Age for 4 weeks, rinse, then allow to partially dry in the sun. Alternatively, use a dehydrator to achieve the same effect.

A little wild food preservation inspired by traditional Japanese umeboshi—and a different way of looking at fruit before it ripens.

#umeboshi #blackberryboshi #preservation taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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13 days ago

Thousands of likes and hundreds of questions later… apparently Tomato Holy Water needed its own reel. 😂

The essence of summer tomatoes, clarified without heat, with zero waste and a ridiculous amount of flavour.

And yes, turning it into an ice-cold oyster shot is still my favourite way to use it 🦪

Make the water. Save the solids. Have some fun with it. Have a wonderful Monday everyone.

#tomatowater #tomatoes #koji #umami #wildtablebc taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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2 months ago

Apparently this one needed a permanent home.

Hundreds of people have been asking for the recipe after I mentioned it in the comments, so here it is.

Tomato Holy Water has become one of those things I always want in the fridge. Over oysters, folded into a mignonette, stirred into vinaigrettes, splashed into gazpacho… or simply poured into a glass and enjoyed ice cold.

If you make it, I’d love to hear where it ends up.

#tomatowater #koji #glutamate taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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2 months ago

There are a million blackberries out there right now.

Instead of letting them go to waste, turn them into something that will still be incredible months—or even years—from now.

Fruit vinegar is one of the simplest ferments you can make. It takes a little patience, but nature does almost all of the work.

Sometimes you just need to get outside and pick some fruit.

Have you ever made your own vinegar?

#wildtablebc #fermentation #vinegar #blackberries #seasonalcooking taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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2 months ago

Summer’s almost over, so I’m hanging onto it any way I can..

This is tepache fermented with whole flowering tulsi from the garden. Tulsi has this incredible mix of aromatic volatile compounds that smell and taste floral, citrusy, sweet and fruity — but this plant smells so unbelievably like ripe funky pineapple it’s mind boggling.

Oh my.

Summer doesn’t last long.. Might as well make the most of it 😉

#tepache #fermentation #tulsi #pineapple #wildtablebc taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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25 days ago

My love and respect for local food has never wavered. I’ve dedicated twenty years of my life to pursuing cooking, and to farmed, foraged and ethically harvested ingredients here in the unbelievably beautiful PNW.

I’ve had the privilege of learning from some incredible cooks and chefs over the years, but I’ve always learned the most from curiosity.

Why is this ingredient the way it is? How could it be better? What are the limitations to its creation? How do I change those limits?

That’s how my mind works.

Not gonna lie, it’s exhausting sometimes. I feel for every cook out there constantly driving to get better, flooding their brain with food, ideas and creation. Stay mentally strong. Look after yourselves, and look after one another.

Keep asking questions. Keep learning. Keep cooking.

And keep it local.

Like, really, really local.

#chef #foraging #farming #cooking #curiosity taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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a month ago

These apples are a bit of a mystery…

I got them from a tree labelled “Glo” crabapple, except I can’t seem to find any reliable record of a crabapple by that name.

They’re long and oddly shaped, ranging from red to deep crimson, and then you cut them open… pink all the way through. Beautiful, tart, aromatic little things!

Whatever they are, they make killer pastes, jelly, compote or even cider.

Any apple growers, orchardists or pomology nerds out there recognize them? I’d love to figure out what I actually picked. 🍎❤️

#crabapple #apples #orchard #seasonalcooking #farmtotable taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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a month ago

Cooking fish in paper is WILDLY overlooked.

Rockfish en papillote with makrut lime + coconut milk broth, rice noodles, yu choy, enoki and all the fresh garnishes.

Everything cooks together inside the parchment, the fish stays ridiculously juicy, and when you rip that thing open you get every bit of the steam, aromatics and cooking liquor right there on the plate.

Simple technique. Very good fish. Big dramatic paper reveal 😂

Thanks France. 🇫🇷

#rockfish #enpapillote #fishrecipe #seafoodrecipe #wildtablebc taken in Vancouver Island, BC, Canada by @wildtablebc

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a month ago