Boston Flora

Tag: Russ Cohen

  • Saturday, July 11, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Pollinator Dinner Garden Party

    Join The Massachusetts Pollinator Network and Grow Native Massachusetts for our first ever Pollinator Dinner fundraising event, featuring delicious food, music, pollinator information, a silent auction, and more.

    We will gather at the Herb Lyceum in Groton, MA, wander their beautiful gardens, and enjoy a dinner featuring foods we couldn’t have without our native pollinators (and even a few dishes with invasive species!).

    We will be joined by none other than Nick Dorian to talk about the pollinators we have to thank for the meal, and Russ Cohen, who will give us insights on responsible foraging for edible natives. There will be an optional added wine pairing from local Marzae Wines, as well as a cash bar.

    Buy tickets ($150 before May 11, thereafter $175) at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/Calendar-of-Events/Pollinator-Garden-Party-Dinner-on-the-Farm-with-Grow-Native

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  • Monday, November 18, 7:00 pm – A Taste of Autumn

    Russ Cohen, celebrated local naturalist and wild foods enthusiast, will teach us about the snacks we can find in our own backyards- there’s more out there than you think!  On November 18 at 7 pm Russ will give a presentation about foraging and seeing a landscape with an eye for edibles.  We’ve already harvested the garden, but there’s more to enjoy right at our feet if we know how and where to look, and how to gather safely and respectfully. Some of Russ’s favorites include shagbark hickory, black walnut and beach plum, and we’ll be lucky enough to taste some of his recipes. The event takes place at the Durant-Kendrick House, Education Center, 286 Waverly Avenue, Newton, Massachusetts.

    Passionate about maintaining and expanding our native edible landscape, Russ can often be found removing invasives and planting native edibles in their place.  He is an authority on edible plants, maintaining a list of about 190 native plant species in Massachusetts and the Northeastern US, and has led walks and workshops for 50 years.  To register and for more info visit grownative.org/our-programs/workshops

  • Saturday, July 13, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Wild Edibles

    Join Russ Cohen at River Walk, a project of Great Barrington Land Conservancy, on Saturday, July 13, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. for a walk focusing on edible native plant species, including species that you might like to plant in your yard. Russ will share some samples of foraged treats, made from wild edible plants, to taste at the beginning or end of the walk. River Walk project is a remarkable, community-driven transformation of a rubble and invasive plant-dominated Housatonic riverbank eyesore to the predominantly native-plant showpiece it is today, with an expertly designed and constructed footpath running through it.

    No transportation will be provided for this class. Please meet at River Walk, 7 Cottage Street, Great Barrington.

    Russ Cohen has recently completed his 50th year of leading walks and talks about wild edibles. His foraging book, “Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten,” came out in June of 2004, and is now in its eighth printing. Since his retirement in June 2015, while continuing to offer walks and talks on foraging for wild edibles, Russ now plays the role of Johnny Appleseed for native edible species. River Walk is one of Russ’ sowing sites, and we are likely to encounter several species from his nursery that were planted there.

    This program, sponsored by Berkshire Botanical Garden, is $40 for BBG members, $65 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/wild-edibles

  • Thursday, September 29, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Foraging for Wild Edibles Walk

    Worcester County is home to more than 100 species of edible wild plants, many of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. Join wild edibles enthusiast Russ Cohen, author of the book Wild Plants I have Known…and Eaten, on a two-hour ramble around New England Botanic Garden to learn about the comestible qualities of at least eighteen wild plant species. Pending favorable weather conditions, several edible wild mushroom species may be encountered as well. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with info on edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation methods, as well as general guidelines for safe and environmentally-responsible foraging.

    Until his retirement in June of 2015, Russ Cohen’s “day job” was serving as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration, where one of his areas of expertise was in riparian vegetation. Now Russ has more time to pursue his passionate avocation, which is connecting to nature via his taste buds, and teaching others how to do the same. Russ is now playing the role of “Johnny Appleseed” for edible native species. He has set up a small nursery (in Weston, MA) where he grows/keeps over 1,000 plants that he propagates from seed (some of which he collected himself), as well as obtained from other sources, such as the Native Plant Trust. He is then partnering with land trusts, cities and towns, schools and colleges, state and federal agencies, organic farms, tribal groups and others to plant plants from his nursery in appropriate places on their properties. Russ has initiated over two dozen such projects in the past five years.

    $35 Member Adult; $50 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE.

  • Friday, July 12, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Edible Native Plants

    The Berkshires are home to over 100 species of edible wild plants. Many of these species are more nutritious and flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. On July 12 from 2 – 5, join wild edibles enthusiast and author Russ Cohen, for a three-hour ramble around Sky Meadow Farm in Alford, Massachusetts to learn about edible wild plants. Keys to the identification of reach species will be provided, along with info on edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation methods, as well as guidelines for safe and responsible foraging.
    $30 RSVP @ helianativenursery@gmail.com

    Groundnut (Apios americana)

  • Wednesday, May 15, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Wild Edibles at Acton Arboretum

    Join wild plants expert Russ Cohen on May 15 from 1 – 4 for a walk through Acton Arboretum, where he highlights over eighty species of edibles! Discover new favorite native edibles, tools to identify them, and appropriate ways to utilize them in your own landscapes. This field trip is sponsored by the Native Plant Trust (formerly the New England Wild Flower Society (and we’ll stop reminding people about this when we think the new name has stuck), and is $36 for members of the NPT, and $41 for nonmembers. Register online at www.nativeplanttrust.org.

  • Wednesday, June 6, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Foraging Walk at The Lyman Estate

    Join foraging expert Russ Cohen on Wednesday, June 6, from 6 – 8, on a walk through the Lyman Estate landscape, including farmland leased by Waltham Fields Community Farm, to collect wild edibles.

    Cosponsored by Historic New England and the Waltham Fields Community Farm. $12. Register at http://shop.historicnewengland.org/LYM-PROGRAM-MTX-1-10136/

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  • Wednesday, April 25, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Nibbling on Natives in Your Backyard

    There’s an increasing interest among homeowners, property managers, and others in utilizing more native species in their landscaping to attract and sustain beneficial insects and pollinators as well as to provide food and shelter for birds and other animals. Yet, for some people, these reasons alone may be insufficient motivation to “go native.” Perhaps knowing that many native species can be eaten by people will provide the additional incentive you need to add native species to your yard. Join Russ Cohen on Wednesday, April 25 at 7 pm at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield, Massachusetts for a 90-minute slide show featuring at least two dozen species of native edible wild plants suitable for your own landscape, or for nibbling as you encounter them in other locales. Russ will supply helpful handouts and bring along samples of goodies made from foraged edible native species for participants to taste. Cosponsored by New England Wild Life Society and the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the lecture is $20 for members of sponsoring organizations, $24 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/nibbling-on-natives-in-your-backyard-and-beyond

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  • Tuesday, September 19, 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Wild Edibles Walk

    Join the New England Wild Flower Society, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, for a walk around Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln on Tuesday, September 19 at 4:30 pm to learn about the tastiest wild plant species in our midst. We will discuss identification tips, edibility, seasonality, and preparation methods, along with general guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. We’ll end the evening sipping and snacking on tasty foraged treats. $32 for members of sponsoring organizations, $38 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/wild-edibles-walk

  • Wednesday, July 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Nibbling on Nature in the City

    On Wednesday, July 12 at 7 pm, join Russ Cohen as he discusses the comestible virtues of at least three dozen wild plants commonly found in urban habitats such as vacant lots, bike path edges, ball fields, weedy areas around community garden plots, and your yard. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with information on which parts of the plant are edible, seasons of availability, preparation methods, and guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. Pictured is epazote, an herb widely used in Mexican cuisine, which grows freely throughout the city.

    This class is part of our Urban Gardening Series, a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by New England Wild Flower Society in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA). You may register at www.newfs.org.