Kevin Kossowan on Wild Food, Terroir, and Building From the Wild His Way

Kevin Kossowan is a filmmaker, forager, and hunter best known for From the Wild, a James Beard nominated series he shoots, edits, and scores entirely on his own in the Canadian wilderness. In this episode, he talks about how he thinks about wild food as a full pantry, why terroir applies just as much to a forest as a vineyard, and what happens when you slow down and pay attention to everything around you, not just the thing you came for. If you hunt, forage, cook, or just find yourself curious about what's growing outside, you'll like this one. \_\_\_\__ LINKS Kevin Kossowan https://www.fromthewild.ca From the Wild on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@fromthewild The Perennial Plate (Daniel Klein, mentioned) https://www.theperennialplate.com Heartland Bowhunter (mentioned) https://heartlandbowhunter.com Strathcona Spirits / Clear Stock (mentioned) https://strathconaspirits.ca \_\_\_\__ Silvercore is built on a lifetime spent outdoors, on ranges and in the company of people who live with skill, purpose and integrity.  Here you will find real conversations, fieldcraft, practical training, stories from the wild and the lessons that help us grow mentally and physically.  Whether it is a podcast with someone who has been tested, a tip you can use today or a look behind the scenes, the goal is to help you live stronger, safer and more capable in the outdoors and in life. Silvercore Club members receive exclusive podcast episodes, online courses, insurance for their adventures and discounts on premium gear: https://www.silvercore.ca/club Online Training: https://www.silvercore.ca Training and Services: https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise:  https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Blog: https://www.silvercore.ca/blog Host Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bader.tiffany Silvercore Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors Contact: info@silvercore.ca 604 940 7785 www.silvercore.ca All content on this channel is for informational purposes only.  Always follow the law, follow safe handling practices and train with qualified professionals.  Silvercore assumes no liability for the use or misuse of any information shown here. \_\_\_\__ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 What makes From the Wild different from other hunting shows 02:00 Kevin's influences: Heartland Bowhunter, Jamie at Home, The Perennial Plate 05:30 Leaving finance for filmmaking and rebuilding a food system from scratch 07:30 How From the Wild started 09:00 How the show has evolved toward plants, spirits, and sea kayaking 10:30 Terroir in wild spaces and why time and place change everything 14:00 Why elk hunts turn into mushroom hunts 15:30 Noticing everything around you in the field 16:30 Snow goose, digestivos, and what happens when you look beyond the target 18:00 Wild tinctures, neutral grain spirit, and what alcohol percentage does to extraction 19:30 Learning from people who know more than you 21:00 Lamb's quarter, fireweed tea, and the plants that replaced grocery store staples 24:00 Galium triflorum: the wild plant that replaced 98% of a restaurant's vanilla bean order 28:00 The pull between documenting food and just eating it 29:00 Filming the pace of nature and post-production as a time machine 31:30 What a good episode looks like: fishing, crabbing, foraging, cooking, being there 33:30 Why the show stays unscripted 35:00 Making something for yourself and sharing it 36:30 When wild ingredients are challenging and what chefs do with that 38:00 Tall blue lettuce, wormwood, and finding the right application for bitter ingredients 41:00 Growing up on moose meat and learning almost everything else from scratch 42:30 How Kevin approaches learning something new 44:00 Why most of the forest turns out to be usable 45:30 One plant, a whole menu: dandelion, spruce, and what that opens up 47:00 Sweden, Finland, and how related species can taste completely different 50:00 Working alone and what that produces creatively 51:30 Self-shooting and why a second camera changes the dynamic 53:30 From the Wild as documentation of real friendships 57:00 Season 13 plans: BC coast, goose barnacles, lingcod, halibut by sea kayak 01:00:00 How to preserve fish when you're paddling back to port 01:03:00 What else is out there beyond salmon and halibut 01:07:00 Seaweeds on the BC coast 01:09:00 What time in the field does to how capable a person feels 01:11:00 Gin, tonics, herbal medicine, and where plant-based drinking came from 01:13:00 Robert Rogers: 65 books on plant and fungal medicine