Tag Archives: foraging

Wild Backyard: Early Spring 2024 Edition

Well, it’s finally happening! The daytime temperature is mild enough to shed one’s winter coat. The cherry blossoms are waning, the redbuds are just starting to show, the bulbs are poppin’ up all over, and spring greens are there for the picking. Continue reading

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Review: Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, with a Guide to Plants and Recipes, by Winifred Bird, illustrated by Paul Poynter.

Quick! What’s the first thing that springs to mind if I ask you what Japan and the Washington, DC area have in common? (Hint: it’s early Spring here.)  Why, cherry trees in blossom, you’d answer, and you’d be right!  So … Continue reading

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News Flash: Redbud Flowers Are Edible, And So Are Hon Tsai Tai

Yes, I have recently learned that the redbud tree’s flowers, like many others, can safely be consumed.  I’ve been meaning for a few years now to try my hand at pickling cherry blossoms, but have been unable to source flowers … Continue reading

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Life’s Just A Bowl of Wineberries

Spring brought so much rain this year, I was worried that all the good foraging in my yard would be washed out.  The pokeweed harvest was thin, which was surprising, since the stems are normally so full of moisture one … Continue reading

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A Morel As Big As My Hand

No kidding!  And it was growing under the arbor vitae next to my porch, about three feet from my house!   I lost no time cutting it and cooking it for dinner.  Well, OK, I did make sure to check … Continue reading

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Puffballs and Shaggy Manes

This fall’s mushroom foraging was a little sparse, but that was probably because we had to leave for Santa Fe in the middle of it.   I only found one patch of shaggy manes.  They were delicious as usual, but the … Continue reading

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Quite a Year for Poke

I can’t decide whether asparagus or pokeweed is my favorite spring vegetable.  Last year poke was surprisingly sparse and late to develop, maybe because it was so rainy.  This year, however, is making up for last. Poke (aka poke salat … Continue reading

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