Thanks for having me over to your blog, Sandra, and the fun request for character foodie facts.
My main characters spend a lot of time feeling hungry, and they satisfy the need for food by foraging. Because it’s winter during most of the story, they can’t be as picky as I am and have to settle for some nasty-tasting treats—like acorns.
I thought I’d share three things I eat out of my forest that are quite tasty, and that my character Aster might forage around her home during the spring and summer:
Stinging nettle leaves: Use gloves when you pick these! You can boil them or dry them for teas, or cook them in soups. Both drying and boiling destroy the little stingers. I could survive for a year on the annoying nettles bordering my road.
Milkweed pods: Pick these when they’re young and well before they open into clouds of whirly seeds. They’re bitter (like acorns), so you’ll need to boil them three times in fresh pots of water (like acorns). But then they’re good in stir-fries and casseroles (a lot better than acorns!).
Wild daylily petals: The plain orange daylily petals make beautiful additions to salads along with pink rose petals. Don’t eat ornamental daylilies or tiger lilies (they’re poisonous), but the common orange ones are wonderful and will brighten up any dish.
Check your local foraging guides to see what’s edible where you live and have fun eating wild.
I hope you enjoyed my fun foodie facts. Bon appetit!
Blurb:
A healer and dabbler in the dark arts of life and death, Barus is as gnarled as an ancient tree. Forgotten in the chaos of the dying queen’s chamber, he spirits away her stillborn infant, and in a hovel at the meadow’s edge, he breathes life into the wisp of a child. He names her Aster for the lea’s white flowers. Raised as his daughter, she learns to heal death.
Then the day arrives when the widowed king, his own life nearing its end, defies the Red Order’s warning. He summons the necromancer’s daughter, his only heir, and for his boldness, he falls to an assassin’s blade.
While Barus hides from the Order’s soldiers, Aster leads their masters beyond the wall into the Forest of Silvern Cats, a land of dragons and barbarian tribes. She seeks her mother’s people, the powerful rulers of Blackrock, uncertain whether she will find sanctuary or face a gallows’ noose.
Unprepared for a world rife with danger, a world divided by those who practice magic and those who hunt them, she must choose whether to trust the one man offering her aid, the one man most likely to betray her—her enemy’s son.
A healer with the talent to unravel death, a child reborn, a father lusting for vengeance, and a son torn between justice, faith, and love. Caught in a chase spanning kingdoms, each must decide the nature of good and evil, the lengths they will go to survive, and what they are willing to lose.
A long-time reader, best-selling author D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life when years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books. She was instantly hooked.
In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography.
Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.
***
The Necromancer's Daughter Links:
Amazon Links:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/
Apple: https://books.apple.
Smashwords: https://www.
Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/D.-Wallace-Peach/e/B00CLKLXP8
Website/Blog: http://mythsofthemirror.com
Website/Books: http://dwallacepeachbooks.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dwallacepeach
33 comments:
Thank you both. Drat you both. I need another addition to my reading list about as much as I need another hole in my head.
Thanks so much for having me over today, Sandra. I'm thrilled to be hanging out at your place today. You were the first person to sign on to my tour, so special hugs. I enjoyed sharing some foodie facts about my characters as well as tips for foraging. I swear I could survive the zombie apocalypse on the nettles invading my yard. I pull those things out by the wheelbarrow full. Have a lovely, my friend. I'll be around!
My son is obsessed with survival knowledge. I'll have to rely on him if we ever have to live off our surroundings. It's great that you know this stuff, Diana.
Anyway, best wishes with your tour. You know I loved the book. Sandra, thanks for hosting.
Wonderful foraging advice, Diana! I knew about the nettles but not the others. Huge congratulations on your latest book, which I absolutely adore. Sandra, thanks for sharing, and I have your book coming up my list! Have a wonderful weekend, ladies. Hugs 💕🙂
Well, this was educational, Diana. I never knew you could eat any of those things. Good thing I've never gotten lost in the forest. Thanks for hosting, Sandra!
My Grandparents ate acorns during the Depression. Afterwards, when times were better, they tried acorns again and were horrified at how terrible they tasted.:-)
The Necromancer's Daughter is a fabulous read!
Thanks so much, Child, Staci, Harmony, Teri, and Pricilla. Lol! I'm glad you enjoyed the post, and now you can wow your guests and add common daylily and rose petals to your salads. :-) Definitely skip the acorns.
I love your food foraging ideas! That's very interesting and good to know!
I loved the Necromancer's Daughter; such a good book.
What a fun post! I've never attempted proper foraging. The closest I've come is hunting for morel mushrooms, and I only learned to do that in recent years. Seems I could learn a lot from you, Diana, and your characters! Thank you for hosting, Sandra! Lovely visiting your site! :)
EC, I think you'd really enjoy this one:)
Diana, I'll take your nettles, if you take my creepy crawly weed grass. I'm thrilled to have you here and you know I loved Necromancer's Daughter. You outdid yourself on this one.
Hey Staci, Good to know we can rely on your son and Diana if it comes down to it. I loved this story too. And you and Mae provided me with more stellar reading.
Harmony, Diana has turned out a great read for sure. Yay on Geller working his way up the list:)
Kymber, Thanks so much for coming by and supporting Diana. It's a wonderful story, isn't it?
Hey Mar, Thanks for stopping by. I'd be limited to foraging for blackberries as I'd be afraid of picking the wrong mushrooms and poisoning myself.
Thanks, Kymber and Mar for stopping by Sandra's. I'm glad you both enjoyed my foraging tips. I have chanterelle mushrooms here in the PNW, Mar, but I haven't foraged for morels, though I know they're around. I want to take a class in foraging in the spring so I can learn more about what's edible. There's a lot! Thanks to you both for stopping by and for your kind comments. Have a great day as we head into the weekend!
Thank you for hosting Diana today, Sandra. I loved your foodie recommendations, Diana, but if you don't mind, I'm going to pass. This is an excellent book.
I hope I'm never hungry enough to have to try your choice of native plants for food. So much work, and then I'd probably poison myself by using the wrong ones. BUT, just in case I get desperate, thank you in advance for saving me from starvation with these tips. ;-) As for the book, while I'm starving, I will feel just fine as long as I have The Necromancer's Daughter to read. Wonderful book!
Thanks, John and Anneli, for making me laugh. Both of you cracked me up. John, I think you'd enjoy rose petals. No prep and milder than lettuce. And, yeah, Anneli, if you're not sure about what's poisonous and what isn't, just stick with your garden. Thanks for the lovely comments about the book too!
Romance books are truly a top seller and Sandra's book sounds amazing along with all of her other great books Diana!
Love this post with both of you sharing so beautifully about the other. This was a lovely review on both of your parts. 💗
Wow Diana, fun foodie facts are as interesting as the fantasy world you create! I enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing this lovely post Sandra.
Thanks, Cindy and Balroop. I'm so glad you enjoyed my review of Sandra's book. She writes great western romances loaded with action. And I'm glad you enjoyed the foodie facts, Balroop. There's almost no end to what we can find to eat out in the wild. :-) Glad you enjoyed the post!
Thanks for the tips the book sounds good!
what an intriguing title and splendid cover art!
Thanks, Christine and Jeanie, for stopping by Sandra's to take a peek at The Necromancer's Daughter and gather some foraging tips. I loved it when Sandra asked for some foodie tips. Have a great weekend.
I wasn't expecting foodie facts! I'd heard of people eating stinging nettles, but not milkweed pods or daylily petals.
Hey John, Thanks for stopping by to support Diana. Yes, it is an excellent book:)
Anneli, Too funny:) And I agree, it is a wonderful book;)
Thank you so much, Cindy. Diana was very kind to share the stage when the spotlight is on Necromancer's Daughter. Thanks for stopping by.
Hey Balroop, How are you doing? So glad you stopped by. It's a pleasure to host Diana. Aren't her meme's amazing?
Parece un buen libro. Te mando un beso.
Great post, Diana:) I am sure I could survive from our plants too, but wouldn't like it...lol. Thanks for hosting, Sandra xo
Happy weekend
Thanks JP, Denise, and Adam for stopping by Sandra's today. I think you'd enjoy the petals, Denise. They're mild and super pretty, though they aren't very filling. Lol. Have a great weekend.
Thanks for checking out the foodie facts, Liz. I'm glad you found something new to read. I hope you enjoy your milkweed casserole. Lol. Have a wonderful weekend, my friend.
Christine, It's a keeper;)
Jeanie, Definitely and definitely:)
Elizabeth, I haven't had the pleasure of milkweed pods either;)
J.P., Indeed. Hugs:)
My pleasure, Denise. Diana created a fascinating post, didn't she? xo
Happy weekend, Adam:)
I’m an always delighted to read about Diana and her work. Thank you Sandra.
A very interesting read.
Thank you.
All the best Jan
Hi Sandra, thanks for hosting Diana and her fabulous book. My favorite of hers that I've read so far. I enjoyed the foodie facts, too. Congrats again, Diana! 💗
Thanks, Heartafire and Lauren, for stopping by Sandra's and for the lovely comment about my work and the book. A wonderful start to my day. <3
Heartafire, Thanks so much for coming by and supporting Diana.
Lauren, it is fabulous, isn't it? Thanks for stopping by and your support.
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