The leaves of a bush called sweet gale, bog myrtle or meadow fern (Myrica Gale), are a complex spice that I love to pick when I’m out canoeing in the fall.

Depending on the region, the leaves can be picked from July to September and the seeds until November.

I consider my canoe an excellent tool for exploring the banks of our lakes and rivers and harvesting this spice… which grows right here in Quebec. With its resinous, peppery taste, the seeds of the sweet gale can be reminiscent of nutmeg. Its leaves look much like bay leaves.

October is the month for squash and we are lucky enough to have numerous varieties to enjoy in Quebec. While they can be a bit intimidating to cut, a big knife and g

ood technique will make the task easier.

The Red Kuri squash is a favourite of mine, and the one I choose to make my squashgnocci. Compared with those made from potatoes, these are lighter… delicate and unctuous.

In several restaurants where I’ve worked in the past, nutmeg was used to make potato gnoccis. The sweet gale, which I crush with a mortar and pestle before incorporating it into the puree, is a fine substitute in this recipe. With good quality flour, eggs, and a good parmesan cheese, we can make a lovely homogeneous orange paste which will become our gnoccis. Once they’ve been blanched in a pot of hot, salted water, give them a nice crust in a pan with brown butter. Serve with a good handful of wild mushrooms and roasted squash seeds, and you’ll have a mouth-watering dish.

In a canoe, our nose appreciating the boreal spices, we take advantage of First Nations knowledge.