In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale learned there’s no place like home. That’s true for foraging, too (for those with a pesticide-free yard). Foraging does not always mean bushwhacking in remote forests or hiking to some pristine spot. Tasty, nutritious plants may be right outside your door. Join Extension Master Gardeners Becky Halbe and longtime gardener and educator Puwen Lee to learn about foraging for safe, edible plants that may be growing in your yard or neighborhood. A few of these plants are useful for crafts too!
Speakers: Extension Master Gardeners Becky Halbe, and longtime gardener and educator Puwen Lee.
Zoom session, recorded March 11, 2022
Video of Presentation
- 0:00:00 Introducing Becky Halbe
- 0:01:44 Overview
- 0:03:43 What is Edible?
- 0:04:11 Why Forage?
- 0:07:34 Rules of Foraging
- 0:10:27 Foraging Do’s and Don’ts
- 0:12:11 What’s Available Now or Soon?
- 0:19:57 Questions
- 0:20:34 Introducing Puwen Lee
- 0:21:38 Fall Leaves & Nuts
- 0:37:36 Look for Spring Greens
- 0:41:24 Questions
Additional Resources
General Resources on Foraging
- Angier, Bradford. 2008. Field Guide to Edible Plants. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. Arlington Public Library
- Angier, Bradford. 2016. How to Eat in the Woods: A complete guide to foraging, trapping, fishing, and finding sustenance in the wild. New York, NY : Black Dog & Leventhal. Arlington Public Library
- Barash, Cathy Wilkinson. 1993. Edible Flowers: from garden to palate. Golden, Colo. : Fulcrum Publishers. Arlington Public Library
- Chin, Ava. 2014. Eating Wildly: foraging for life, love and the perfect meal. New York : Simon & Schuster. Arlington Public Library
- Del Tradici, Peter. 2010. Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: a field guide. Ithaca : Cornell University Press. Arlington Public Library
- Department of the Army. 2019. The Official U.S. Army Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Lyons Press
- Foster, Steven and James A. Duke. 2014. Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of eastern and central North America. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Arlington Public Library
- Gibbons, Euell. 1987. Stalking the Wild Asparagus. Woodstock, Vt. : A.C. Hood. Arlington Public Library
- Guest, DeNeice C. and Nan K. Chase. 2014. Drink the Harvest: Making and Preserving Juices, Wines, Meads, Teas, and Ciders. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.
- Herrera, Melany Vorass. 2013. The Front Yard Forager: identifying, collecting, and cooking the 30 most common urban weeds. Seattle, Wash. : Skipstone. Arlington Public Library
- Meredith, Leda. 2014. Northeast Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Beach Plums to Wineberries. Portland: Timber Press.
- Meredith, Leda. 2016. The Forager’s Feast: how to identify, gather, and prepare wild edibles. Woodstock, VT : The Countryman Press, a division of W.W. Norton & Company. Arlington Public Library
- Musselman, Lytton John and Harold J. Wiggins. 2013. The Quick Guide to Wild Edible Plants: easy to pick, easy to prepare. Baltimore : The Johns Hopkins University Press. Arlington Public Library
- Nyerges, Christopher and Ed Begley, Jr. 1999. Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants. Chicago: Chicago Review Press.
- Nyerges, Christopher. 2016. Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America: more than 150 delicious recipes using nature’s edibles. Guilford, Connecticut : FalconGuides. Arlington Public Library
- Peterson, Lee Allen. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Edible Plants: Eastern and Central North America. HarperCollins Publishers.
- Stewart, Amy. 2013. The Drunken Botanist. Chapel Hill, N.C. : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. Arlington Public Library
- Thayer, Samuel E. 2006. The Forager’s Harvest: a guide to identifying, harvesting, and preparing edible wild plants. Ogema, WI : Forager’s Harvest.Arlington Public Library
- Vorderbruggen, Mark “Merriwether.” 2014. Idiot’s Guide: Foraging: Over 30 Tasty Recipes to Turn Your Foraged Finds into Feasts. Alpha Publishing.
- Wong, Tama Matsuoka and Eddy Leroux. 2012. Foraged Flavor: finding fabulous ingredients in your backyard or farmer’s market. New York : Clarkson Potter Publishing. Arlington Public Library
- Zachos, Ellen. 2013. Backyard Foraging: 65 familiar plants you didn’t know you could eat. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing. Arlington Public Library
- Zachos, Ellen. 2017. The Wildcrafted Cocktail: make your own foraged syrups, bitters, infusions, and garnishes; includes recipes for 45 one-of-a-kind mixed drinks. North Adams, MA : Storey Publishing. Arlington Public Library
Black Walnut References
- Colliver, Tim. 2020. Experts says walnuts are “Money Laying on the Ground.” The Times-Gazette.
https://www.timesgazette.com/news/51973/experts-says-walnuts-are-money-laying-on-the-ground - Gresham, John. 2012. Black Walnut: A Favorite for Flavor.
https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/blog/black-walnut-a-favorite-for-flavor-4079 - Hammons, R. Dwain. History of the Eastern Black Walnut Nut Industry. U.S. Forest Service – Northern Research Station
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/misc/walnut/p22_24.pdf - Juglans nigra. 2022. Wikipedia
https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_nigra - Nix, Steve. How to Identify the Common Black Walnut Tree. 2021. Treehugger.
https://www.treehugger.com/how-to-identify-common-black-walnut-1341873 - Salisbury, Kathleen V. 2017. Working With the Black Walnut. Penn State Extension
https://extension.psu.edu/working-with-the-black-walnut - Sellmer, Jim. Landscaping and Gardening Around Walnuts and Other Juglone Producing Plants. 2007. Penn State Extension.
https://extension.psu.edu/landscaping-and-gardening-around-walnuts-and-other-juglone-producing-plants - Williams, Robert D. Black Walnut. U.S. Forest Service – Southern Research Station
https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/juglans/nigra.htm
Specific Edible Native Plant References
- Edible Native Plants for Earth Renewal. 2021. Plant NOVA Natives. https://www.plantnovanatives.org/edible-native-plants
- Sycamore, Sam. 2017. How to Identify Chickweed – Foraging for Wild Edible Greens. Good Life Revival. https://thegoodliferevival.com/blog/chickweed
- Sycamore, Sam. 2017. How to Identify Garlic Mustard – Foraging for Wild Edible Greens. Good Life Revival.
https://thegoodliferevival.com/blog/garlic-mustard - Sycamore, Sam. 2017. How to Identify Hairy Bittercress – Foraging for Wild Edible Greens. Good Life Revival. https://thegoodliferevival.com/blog/hairy-bittercress
- Sycamore, Sam. 2021. Foraging for Dandelions, Wild Lettuce, and Edible Wild Lookalikes. Good Life Revival.
https://thegoodliferevival.com/blog/dandelion-wild-lettuce-edible-lookalikes