The Greater Boston area is home to over 150 species of edible wild plants, many of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. Join Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, on a 2-hour ramble through Allandale Farm, 259 Allandale Road in Brookline, to learn about at least two dozen species of edible wild plants. Pending favorable weather conditions, several edible mushroom species may be encountered as well. The program will be held twice, June 14 and July 19, from 6 – 8. Russ is a past speaker with The Garden Club of the Back Bay. You may register online ($25) at http://www.allandalefarm.com/events.html. Image from www.foodonthefood.com
Tag: Wild Plants I have Known and Eaten
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Wednesday, June 24, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Edibles in the Landscape – Foraging and Growing Your Own
Edible wild plants offer opportunities for people to connect to nature via their taste buds, thereby building enthusiasm and support for land stewardship. Reconnect with the many edible plants that are all around us.
Join tour guide, Russ Cohen, to view plants in the landscape through a new lens. Russ Cohen’s “day job†is serving as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration. He is also an expert forager and the author of Wild Plants I Have Known… and Eaten, published by the Essex County Greenbelt Association. For more than 25 years, Russ Cohen has been teaching foraging and leading foraging walks each year at a wide variety of venues throughout the Northeast, including talks for the Garden Club of the Back Bay.
On this Wednesday, June 24 early evening walking tour of the landscape at Mass Audubon’s Habitat property in Belmont, Russ will point out which commonly found native and non-native plants have edible potential. Russ will discuss how adding edible plants to a landscape can boost biodiversity as well as “spice up†the experience for garden visitors. Learn about dozens of tasty native and non-native plant species that area landscapes have to offer, some of which may already be growing on your property. If your landscape is not rich with edibles yet, let this presentation be your inspiration to add edibles to your landscape this season. Register ($15 ELA members, $25 nonmembers) and see more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/edibles-in-the-landscape-foraging-and-growing-your-own/#sthash.S7t4kEYV.dpuf Photo below of the Habitat property from www.everytrail.com.
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Wednesday, February 11, 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Edible Native Plants for Your Landscape
There’s an increasing inclination to utilize more native species in home landscaping and in parks and other conserved landscapes, thanks to books like Doug Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home, which extol the virtues of native plants over exotic ornamentals for attracting and sustaining beneficial insects. Yet, for some property owners/managers, this alone may be insufficient motivation to “go nativeâ€. Perhaps knowing that many native species are edible by people too will provide an additional incentive to plant native species. Juneberries (Amelanchier spp.), for example, are equally edible by songbirds and people. Picture below from www.blogs.cornell.edu. The taste of the ripe fruit is like a cross between cherries and almonds. Edible wild plants offer opportunities for people to connect to nature via their taste buds, thereby building their enthusiasm and public support for adding edible native plants to their home landscaping, as well as for conserving other lands that offer foraging opportunities. Adding native edible plants to a landscape can boost biodiversity as well as “spice it up†(literally as well as figuratively – i.e., we can have our acorn cake and eat it too). Learn about at least three dozen of the tastiest native species the Northeast U.S. region has to offer. Keys to the identification of each species are provided, along with edible portions, seasons of availability and preparation methods, along with guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging.
Russ Cohen’s “day job†is serving as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration. He has spoken to The Garden Club of the Back Bay as well. One of his areas of expertise is in riparian vegetation. He has compiled a list of native plant species suitable for planting in riparian areas; wrote nine fact sheets on the ecological and other beneficial functions of naturally vegetated buffers along rivers and streams, intended to aid the effective implementation of the Mass. Rivers Protection Act; and (in partnership with the Appalachian Mountain Club) prepared “Trees, Paddlers and Wildlifeâ€, a set of outreach materials (YouTube video, brochure and PowerPoint presentation) intended to raise the awareness of paddlers, riparian land owners and managers, and others about the ecological and other beneficial values of retaining trees and other woody vegetation (living or dead) in and along rivers and streams. In his spare time, Cohen pursues his passion of connecting to nature via his taste buds. He is an expert forager and the author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, published in 2004 by the Essex County Greenbelt Association. Mr. Cohen has been teaching foraging since 1974 and leads foraging walks each year at a wide variety of venues throughout the Northeast. The Ecological Landscaping Alliance’s free webinar with Russ will take place Wednesday, February 11, from 7:30 – 8:30. See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-edible-native-plants-for-your-landscape/#sthash.yQGWH35b.dpuf
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Tuesday, July 27, 6:30 pm – Wild Harvest: Foraging Food from Fields and Forests
Enjoy nature’s harvest without fussing with plant pots, grow lamps and watering. Join plant enthusiast and past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Russ Cohen for a workshop including how to identify, collect and prepare food from the wild.
Did you know that New England is home to over 150 species of edible wild plants and dozens of species of edible mushrooms? What about the reported fact that many are more nutritious and flavorful than their cultivated counterparts? If this is news to you, then you must plan to join Slow Foods Boston and The Appalachian Mountain Club at 4 Joy Street in Beacon Hill on Tuesday, July 27th at 6:30pm for a little enlightening.
Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, will present a 90-minute slide show and question and answer period. He will cover over 70(!!) of the tastiest species the region has to offer. These range from plants you know well, like Daisies and Dandelions, to plants that you may never have even heard of, like Calamus and Carrion Flower.
He’ll include information on about a dozen of the tastiest (and easiest to recognize) mushroom species, from Morels in the spring, Black Chanterelles (below) in the summer and Hen of the Woods mushrooms in the fall.
Information covered will include identification tips, edible portions, seasons of availability and preparation methods, along with general guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. And just ‘cuz we’re special, Russ promises to bring along a foraged goodie or two to taste!
Cost for the evening’s presentation is only $5, and pre-registration is appreciated at www.slowfoodboston.com. Many thanks to our co-hosts, the Appalachian Mountain Club Boston Chapter Young Members Committee.
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Saturday, May 22, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Wild Harvest: Foraging Food from Fields and Forests
Enjoy nature’s harvest without fussing with plant pots, grow lamps and watering. Join plant enthusiast and past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Russ Cohen for a workshop including how to identify, collect and prepare food from the wild. His Berkshire Botanical Garden program focuses on plants that people are “likely to encounterâ€, highlighting edible natives, but also yummy weeds and invasive species. Following the presentation, take a field trip in search of wild edible plants. Learn where and when to find tasty plants in the wild as well as native edible species you might want to plant in your yard. Finally learn how to prepare the wild harvest and nibble on some wild treats.
Russ Cohen is a professional environmentalist and wild food enthusiast. He leads classes for the Trustees of Reservations, Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. He is the author of the popular book Wild Plants I Have Known…..and Eaten.
This May 22 workshop and field study program will begin at 1 pm at Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, West Stockbridge, and from there you will carpool to selected sites. $35 for BBG members, $45 for non members. You may register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926, or email info@berkshirebotanical.org.
