August is somehow already upon us and the past two weeks have been filled with sun and foraging fun! Many wild fruits are ripening along field edges and hedgerows including pin cherries, blackberries, currants, the last of the season’s blueberries and hackberries and elderberries. Sumac is prime for picking – perfect for sodas, syrups and seasoning. Wild grape clusters will soon turn sun-kissed and sweet.
June welcomes more delightfully edible flowers like daylily, milkweed, linden, beach roses, along with the first fruits of the season in mulberry and juneberry. For the first time I will be offering a salt marsh forage in late June up on the seacoast of NH where we will explore all of the succulent, salty treasures from marsh samphire and sea beans to beach roses and orache.
Spring has finally sprung – at least clock-wise – and I could not be more excited! Last week, I took a quick trip to Charleston, South Carolina. The south welcomed me with it’s magnolia trees and red buds in bloom
Winter weather has finally hit New England with recent snowfall and below freezing wind chills. And while the forest and field edibles have gone largely dormant, there are still plenty of wonderful wild food environments to explore.
It’s that mad scramble between Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and the New Year. We have made it through Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday & Giving Tuesday. But have you heard of Walden Wednesday? Or, Thoreau Thursday? No…? Ok, I may have totally made them up.
Before the tree syrup tapping, winter tea mixing and general dormant distresses of full winter are upon us, I invite you to enjoy the last of our fall months outside. For my November forages, I wanted to add additional aspects – tastings and workshops – that I am hoping will both intrigue and encourage you to experiment throughout the winter months.
It’s officially fall my friends – harvest time for farmers, squirrels and foragers alike. From fruits and nuts to fungi and herbs, a wide variety of delicious wild edibles are prime for picking right now.
Chicken of the woods, chanterelles, black trumpets and milky caps are beginning to carpet the forest floor with each rain. And, ornamental flowers like day lily and hosta offer many options for the hot and lazy forager – from raw salad toppers and garnishes to quick pickles, sodas and stuffed-with-cheese delights.
June starts the foraging migration, when we move out of open fields and begin focusing on hedgerows, wood edges, salt marches and forest edibles. My public events this month offer a number of different foraging experiences.
With mother’s day around the corner, it is the perfect time to go outside and explore nature’s bounty! Continuing on with monthly themes, my May public foraging events will highlight the numerous wild plants, flowers, trees and roots that are perfect for pickling! Each walk will conclude with a tasting of some of my most recent recipes including quick pickled magnolia flowers, dandelion capers and pickled spring onions with ramps, and a discussion on how to make your own at home.