Today in the Kitchen: On the road with Kathy Bates and wild geese

Next stop in our cross-country saga: Kansas. Land of Osage Indians and “many waters.”

It was hard to pass Towanda and not think of Kathy Bates in the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes.” What a great film. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend.

Kansas City was a surprise — a big city that is green and beautiful, artsy and sophisticated, yet down-to-earth and friendly.

And, most importantly, it has good gelato!

I was due, after three days of car food for me (fruit, hard boiled eggs from my friend’s free range chickens, and those great corn chips from our farmer’s market), and “road food” for Stella (chicken nuggets and burger patties) in addition to her regular food, of course.

Roadside oddities included a digital road sign that said “buckle up: savemolives.” Do you think they were going for a hip hop influence?

Then, the St. Louis arch, and we were across the Mississippi. We passed by Pocahontas, Ill., the Embarras River, Ind., Honey Creek (finally, a food reference), and lots of wild, orange tiger lilies.

Hey, there’s a “Sam Jones Expressway!” And also the Ten Commandments on billboard, in case one forgets while driving not to idolize roadside gods.

Ohio brought Mohican State Park, and more reminders of this nation’s original inhabitants. Sadly, very little remains, other than casinos.

When it seemed that only fast food would manifest, I found a mulberry tree at a rest stop — a fruiting one!

Mulberries are an extraordinary fruit. The trees are native to Asia, where the leaves were used as food for silkworms. The fruit is delicious, and full of anthocyanins having medicinal qualities (diuretic and expectorant), as well.

I could never collect enough to make anything with because I find them absolutely irresistible. When I lived in Ojai, a friend showed me the largest mulberry orchard in the country. There were so many types of mulberries that I felt like I was in Disneyland. One of the trees produced long berries that look like pendant earrings. The flavor was intoxicating. I could not stop eating them.

The next surprise was something called “the Erie Watershed” — but of course.

We forget about the geological formation of the world when we plow down interstate highways, but the ground we cross has its own life and history. There was even a segment of a stone lock by the side of the road, apparently a former waterway.

Although I have never seen Niagara Falls and was sorely tempted to sidetrack, we stopped instead at Lake Onondaga. Stella got to chase waterfowl (Standard Poodles were bred to be water retrievers).

She only goes in up to her belly, probably due to a near-drowning in a fast-moving river in New Mexico a year or so ago, so the geese were safe. I, however, didn’t fare so well. Goose poop is big and green. What do they eat, anyway? I just Googled “wild goose food” — apparently they eat grasses. I could have guessed.

The Indian names of Chautauqua and Lackawana appeared, as well as French names like Conneault. In upstate New York, we were getting close to Canada and the French influence.

The next big natural food feature appeared — grapevines!

Grapes are indigenous to almost every part of the world. There are fossils that are 5,000 years old. Grapes adapt to their environments and thrive. These native grapevines are used as root stock because they have adapted so well to specific conditions.

For instance, grapes that thrive in wet climates have roots that can withstand being waterlogged, so that rootstock is used in commercial vineyards that have to cope with that condition. The fruiting variety is grafted on.

The native varieties in places like upstate New York are not Vitis vinifera, the grapes that fine wine is made from. They are Vitis labrusca, such as Concord and Catawba. They are better suited to eating out of hand, and making juice and jelly.

Despite a strong appreciation for fine wine, one of the most primal pleasures I have ever experienced is the taste of freshly squeezed Concord grape juice — truly, a drink of the gods and goddesses.

We’ll send our final installment when we reach Maine - soon, I hope.

Samaya Jones is a Holistic Nutritional Consultant and Natural Foods Personal Chef, who cooks for you and your guests in your home. She writes for health websites, newspapers, and teaches wine education classes. She can be reached at ncsamayaj@gmail.com.