Brill to lead foraging tour on Sept. 12

Thursday, 02 September 2010 13:39

Naturalist and author “Wildman” Steve Brill will lead one of his foraging tours of Putnam State Park in Redding on Sunday, Sept. 12.

This woodland park is as scenic as it is bountiful. It has a great abundance of edible and medicinal wild plants, he noted, and this makes it a great venue for foraging in the fall.

“Common edible ‘weeds’ such as Asiatic dayflower, chickweed, wood sorrel, and sheep sorrel grow in sunny areas throughout. An area near the parking lot where we meet features large, tasty burdock roots. The trailsides are full of sassafras and black birch trees, while rocky slopes provide mullein and northern bayberry leaves,” Mr. Brill said.

“The group will hunt for berries, such as the sweet-sour autumn olive (actually a member of the honeysuckle family), and the mild-flavored but colorful partridge berry. This is one of the best locations for wild nuts. The ground will be littered with delectible shagbark hickory nuts, black walnuts, and white oak acorns. You’ll learn how to collect, process, and use these tasty, nutritous foods,” he continued.

“Although the leaves are long dead, the bulbs of ramps (wild leeks) are at their best. They’re rampant in the woods. This is one of the best parks anywhere for wild mushrooms, especially if it’s rained beforehand. In past years, we found large quantities of choice honey mushrooms, pear-shaped puffballs, and aborted entoloma mushrooms on this tour. Other possibilities include gigantic chicken mushrooms and hen-of-the-woods, oyster mushrooms, pear-shaped puffballs, and the enoki or velvet foot mushroom, which is prized in Japan.”

The three-hour walking tour begins at 1 p.m. in the parking lot by the statue (not by the lake) off Route 107. The suggested donation is $15 per adult, $10 per child under 12. For “Wildman’s” tour calendar and additional information, visit wildmanstevebrill.com.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites