10 AM: Forage with Wildman Steve Brill around the fields and trails of John Jay Homestead!
With farmlands, lawns, a woodland, and edge habitats, and cultivated areas, this picturesque historical site is an ideal venue for a mid-spring foraging tour. Held in conjuction with Katonah Green and Beyond Meetup, you can be assured that there will be tons of wild greens to be found.
Everything edible that comes up in the spring could be there. In sunny areas and along the edges of trails and woodlands, we'll look for tasty violet leaves, piquant greenbriar leaves and shoots, sour curly dock greens and flower stalks, spicy garlic mustard leaves and flowers, and jewelweed, a poison ivy preventative and cure for mosquito bites.
Disturbed habitats should produce pokeweed, a fabulously tasty, highly nutritious potherb that's poisonous if you consume it raw, or dine on the roots, berries, or seeds.
We'll look for sassafras, the original source of root beer, along the edge of the woods. Further in, we may find wintergreen-flavored black birch trees; and spicebush leaves, for making a flavorful anti-fever tea.
Given enough rain beforehand, we could run into some choice spring mushrooms. There may be chicken mushrooms, dryad's saddle, wine-cap stropharias, or even morels.
Might Find: Chicken Mushrooms: It really does taste like chicken when cooked with the appropriate spices!
Bring a bag lunch and we'll eat together afterwards!
The 2-hour walking tour begins at 10 AM, Sunday, May 24, at the John Jay Homestead, 400 Jay Street/Route 22, in Katonah, NY. It will be followed by a delicious lunch served by Katonah Green.
The fee is $30. Call ([masked]) if you need to pay by check or cash, or would like more information. Visit Katonah Green for more information.
CHILDREN's POLICY: if your children are into foraging, please bring them. We would prefer not to have children attend who will be making noise loud enough to make it difficult for other participants to hear Steve speak (or their parents making noise by yelling at them!). But if your children are of a nature that does well in groups and is interested in the subject matter, we would love to have them! Call to discuss food and price.
Learn more about Wildman Steve Brill
“ Small turnout but great walk! Since there were fewer people, we had more time to get questions answered. I've been foraging for years and learned several new things: how to collect and harvest thistle stems, pineapple weed, and vanilla locust flowers. Had a great time! ”
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