Author: Alison Meehan
-
Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is one of my favorite wild edible berries to forage, but one that I do not recommend planting in your yard or on your farm as it is highly invasive. Luckily, you can find these easily enough on old farms. Foraging these tiny berries is a super fun activity to…
-
posted on
Elderberry Syrup
Elderberries grow wild in all states in the United States, even Alaska, and most of Canada as well! This is a great plant to know since it’s an easy way to quickly save you a ton of money in cough syrups and cold remedies. If you’ve ever bought immune-boosting elderberry syrup or have kids in…
-
posted on
12 Ways to Save Money by Foraging
With inflation what it is today, most of us are looking for ways to save a buck here and there on food. Since gardening can be a costly endeaver after buying land, topsoil, garden tools, seeds, and putting in hours of your time into it, foraging can be a great alternative. The only expense in…
-
posted on
Stuffed Dock Leaves
Dock is a fairly common, perennial weed introduced from Europe. Found in most states in the Unites States, you’ll also find it in New Zealand, Australia, and many other countries throughout the world. It’s in the buckwheat family, Polygonacea, and often called cushy-cows, butterdock, kettle dock, curly dock, and smair dock. We have two types…
-
posted on
Chickweed: Nature’s Microgreen
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a plant I forage for most of the year and keep some dried on-hand for when it dies back in the heat of the summer. It’s used as an anemia treatment, taken 3 times a day as tea or food. This wild edible is commonly found in gardens across the United…
-
posted on
Cattail shoots
If you’re interested in knowing one plant you could potentially live off of, look no further than cattail. It’s easy to identify, abundant, and you can eat all parts of it. There is at least one part of cattail edible any month of the year. Today, I harvested cattail shoots. The easiest way to harvest…
-
posted on
12 Fall Wild Fruits You Can Eat
Wild fruit is perhaps my favorite wild edible to harvest. Don’t think that harvesting ends in spring or summer. Fall is an excellent time to get outside and forage – it isn’t nicknamed harvest season for nothing. One of my personal favorites, this was named “The Fruit of the Gods” and so the Latin name…
-
posted on
Mini Violet Quiches
Next time you host a party, try out these delicious, Mini Violet Quiches! These are super easy to make, very inexpensive, and look great. Identification: Leaves: Heart-shaped with deeply indented veins Flowers: Irregular, purple, 5 petals, 1 petal slightly smaller than the others Habitat: Gardens, forests, and fields. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Please…
-
posted on
Foraging for Morels
Morels (Morchella spp.) are a common beginner mushroom. They are highly sought after by chefs and foodies alike because their meaty texture and nutty flavor appeals even to mushroom haters, but cannot be easily grown commercially. They grow best in wooded environments, especially under dead or decaying tulip poplars, ash, sycamore, elm, and apple tress.…
-
posted on
Foraging Wild Elderberry
American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is commonly found throughout eastern and central North America. It is commonly found along streambanks, meadows, woodland edges, and roadsides. It’s both edible and medicinal, though particualarly prized for its medicinal value. The European version of elderberry looks very similar, but mainly the flowers are harvested for medicine, whereas the North…