With November’s temperatures mimicking those of spring, many tasty herbs, plants and greens are back on the menu. Nuts, berries and the last of the fall fruits are also on the table – from acorns and hickory nuts to crab apples and juniper berries.
The first half of August has been an absolute bolete bonanza! Kings, Summer Ceps, Porcini, Bicolors, Bouillons and Painted Boletes (just to name a few) are covering forest floors. A change to cooler nighttime temperatures have also encouraged numerous fall mushrooms to begin fruiting earlier than normal.
This week’s downpours are sure to urge a wider variety of mushrooms to begin fruiting over the next few weeks. Chanterelles, Black Trumpets, King Bolete’s and Milk Caps all favor wet conditions and should make for some great finds in August. Soon, elderberries will begin ripening along with wild cherries. Sumac, wild mustard, sweet fern and bay leaf all beckon, ready to be made into delicious seasoning mixes.
My hands have been permanently stained all week, alternating between bright yellow from the pollen coated elderflowers in full bloom to deep purple from ripe, juicy mulberries. And, my cupboards have reached maximum capacity, with over 200 jars of canned jams, jellies, sauerkrauts and pickled delights.
June truly is a forager’s paradise! As lilacs and magnolias die back, new edible flowers welcome warmer temperatures with their sweet smelling blooms, including black locust (pictured above), elderflower, dame’s rocket, beach rose and linden. Seasonings and herbs like peppergrasses and mints beg to be added to salads, pickles and wild crafted cocktails or mocktails. And salt marshes explode with succulent, salty treasures including samphire. orache, sea beans and beach peas.
May is here and with it, an overwhelming abundance of wild foods are perfectly prime for harvesting. While my mind is frantically inundated with ideas for recipes and my fingers are busy picking, my allergies have been reawakened resulting in itchy eyes and throat irritation. Lucky for us foragers, there are a wide variety of wild plants and herbs available right now to help combat these pesky side affects. Stinging nettle is a great example.
Early spring features numerous delicious wild greens and herbs like garlic mustard, spring onions, alehoof, mugwort, sorrel, and box elder. Tasty tubers are also prime for picking, from day lilies and burdock to Jerusalem artichokes. And the first edible flowers like dandelion, violets and magnolia brighten landscapes and dinner plates.
Fall is here! School is back in session. The sun is setting an hour earlier. And night time temperatures have dropped by double digits, signifying the beginning of a new foraging season. September is a true bounty of fantastic wild foods.
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.
Summer has kicked off with a bang! Last month’s record-breaking heat coaxed out the first fungi of the season including Chicken of the Woods, Berkeley’s Polypore (pictured right), and Black Staining Polypore. This week’s steady rain forecast opens up the potential for a solid Black Trumpet and Chanterelle harvest.