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Yarrow and Tomato Consommé: The Essence of Summer Sunlight 

The enchanting golden light of early morning shines down through the ponderosas, perfectly illuminating one of my favorite wild herbs: a clump of yarrow, feathery leaves delicately highlighted by the pure light behind them. An idea is born. 

How do you capture a single perfect moment? Is it a photograph? A poem? A painting? For me, it is often a recipe, a spoonful of sunshine or a bite of nostalgia. I wander dreamily out of the woods, the golden purity of consommé and the distinctive flavor of yarrow on my mind…

I never used to understand the use of yarrow as a culinary ingredient. Here in the high desert of Idaho, yarrow’s leaves are small and soft, and it tastes intensely bitter. It’s powerful medicine, to be sure -- helpful for everything from slowing histamine reactions to bee stings, to encouraging digestion, to helping to slow the bleeding of a wound. But then I moved to Oregon, only to discover that my familiar friend had taken on a much different character. Oregon’s yarrow was lush and green, with fern-like leaves 3-4 times as big as I’d ever seen before. I took a little nibble and was immediately enchanted by its herbal complexity, with subtle notes of anise and mint contributing to its unique flavor. Ah. Now I get it. 

That’s an important thing to remember when experimenting with foraged foods; the same plant from two different locations can have vastly different characteristics! I suppose it’s a bit like people… no matter how many times we move, a little bit of the culture or energy of each home stays with us. Interactions that feel commonplace in one region feel invasive or confusing just another state over. Even within a country (or a county), cultural norms influence our behaviors and perceptions. We, too, are rooted in the essence of our landscape and the stories it holds. We each have our own perfect blend of time and place. Some things will always remain familiar. And one of those things, for me, is yarrow. 

This adaptable wild plant can be found on every continent on Earth, except for Antartica (yet.) It grows in lush rainforests and high mountain deserts. It thrives in the compacted soil of a construction site or the soft black soil of my backyard garden. In the wild, it blooms with clusters of white blossoms, honey-sweet and slightly spicy. Cultivated varieties come awash in a watercolor palette of pinks, purples, oranges, yellows, and reds. Unsurprisingly, yarrow represents constancy, lasting love, and endurance in many cultures all over the world. And every leaf I have ever nibbled has had a slightly different character than the last. 

To really highlight the magic of yarrow, I knew that I needed a food of both sustenance and clarity, of sunshine and coolness, of early morning sunbeams. Then I remembered the perfectly clarified soup consommé that my grandmother taught me to make, and the gears started turning. I was ready to make a potion that sparkled like morning sunshine, that had the earthy depth of forest mushrooms, the sweet nostalgia of summer tomatoes, and the herbal backbone of yarrow. Every time I make this recipe, it will be different; for each time is capturing a snapshot of a moment, of varied herbal flavors and different tomatoes. That’s part of the magic. 

You’ll be amazed at the complexity of flavor and richness of such a clear liquid! You can then serve it on its own as an elegant first course, but I love adding a couple of beautiful handmade raviolis in the color of summertime tomatoes, some halved cherry tomatoes, and a yarrow leaf. This new recipe is the best gluten-free pasta I have ever made, and I can’t wait for you to try it too!

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