Connecticut Valley Wild Edibles

The Connecticut River Valley is home to over 150 species of edible wild plants, many of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts.  Typical native edibles include: ostrich fern (Matteucia struthiopteris, the so-called “Fiddlehead” fern); cattails (Typha spp.), dubbed by wild foods guru Euell Gibbons as “the supermarket of the swamps” for its many edible parts; milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). Invasive and/or otherwise weedy species include autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), purslane (Portulaca oleracea), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus).  Join Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, on a three-hour ramble in and around Nasami Farm in Whately to learn about at least two dozen edible species.  Keys to the identification of each species will be provided along with information on edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation method(s), as well as general guidelines for safe and environmentally-responsible foraging.  Participants should bring a pen and paper to take notes, several small bags to collect samples, and footwear for wet conditions. 

Sunday, July 12, 2-5 p.m.