Published December 2013

The woods are isolated. The heat is relentless. Bugs swarm in hordes. Bears wander in the not-too-far off. But it doesn’t seem to bother Untamed Feast’s wild mushroom pickers. “We’re patrons of all things wild,” says Michelle Whitehead, co-founder of Untamed Feast.

For Michelle’s husband (and other Untamed Feast co-founder) Eric, it all began as a small child picking with his grandmother in Kleena Kleene British Columbia.

“My dad shot moose and we picked wild things to eat,” he says. 

Eric eventually started working in forestry but continued picking on the side, selling mushrooms to restaurants. He says when he saw the steep prices of the wild mushroom dishes, he knew many people would not have access to them. And so he and Michelle started selling those same mushrooms direct to customers. 

“It’s all about the soil,” says Eric of his passion for bringing wild mushrooms to the masses. “It’s medicine. It’s medicine that makes you feel great.”

Both Eric and Michelle stress the importance of looking at what is growing all around us and learning how to make our food tastier. 

“We have tons of great, amazing foods here,” says Eric. “Better than organic. Wild is better than organic.” 

You can find recipes like the one below inside every Untamed Feast product, or online at untamedfeast.com. To see what the life of a mushroom hunter is like (or to watch these two featured on Dragons’ Den), visit their YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/untamedfeast.

READY-TO-GO WILD MUSHROOM SOUP

In a pot, fry bacon to crispy (if using bacon). Add butter or olive oil and fry onion and garlic until golden. Add wine, soup container contents, and water. Bring to a boil while stirring on high. Reduce heat, stir in cream, cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Cool and serve with fresh bread and butter.