Foraging for wild edibles

Today my brother John and I drove out to Belchertown for Russ Cohen's Foraging for Wild Edibles workshop, sponsored by NOFA. It was an excellent way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. We learned about mushrooms you should and shouldn't eat, nuts and berries that grow wild, roots to pick, how things smell, when not to eat certain plants, good picking etiquette. After being out in the sun for four hours and driving four hours, I'm kinda zonked, so will post pictures and a more in-depth discussion later this week.

But for now, if you are interested in foraging for wild food, here's some of Russ' info. As he said, foraging is one of the last free things left to do, and you walk away with good things to eat. Yes it takes time and effort, but that's part of the fun. And I'm dying for hazelnut season now that I realize that hazelnuts grow EVERYWHERE, and I can't but help thinking about the beach plum jelly my great-aunt Mil used to make. Might be worth a trip to Plum Island this year.

I purchased his book Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten. The book contains information on where and how to forage, some general guidelines, and a wealth of information on plants, including recipes. Cattail chowder and pokeweed frittata, anyone? Russ donates all his money back to conservation land, so know that your $15 goes to a good cause.

According to Tom from NOFA, Russ runs about 60 workshops per year. Take a look at his schedule, and note that there are workshops in Framingham and Lincoln coming up. It looks like some are walks and some are slide shows or cooking events.

Finally, here's Russ Cohen's bio.

I'll write up more later this week, not all my 10 pages of notes but a few highlights and pictures. Happy eating everyone.