Multiflora rose is prickly but flavorful. ( Heather Houskeeper) Menace or medicine? Take a stroll down a country lane or wander near a thicket and you’ll likely find her. Most folks scorn her. I’ve cursed... Wild Food 19 Sep 2025 | 01:50
A red volva amanita sighting during our first foray, the day of the mushroom festival in Genekha. ( Aysha Venjara) A mushroom hunter’s Shangri-La Last week, my neighbor Dan texted to say he’d found “a ton” of chicken of the woods during a hike on nearby Sugar Loaf Mountain.... Cultivator 08 Sep 2025 | 12:47
Finding the rogue fig tree This is my last column. I’m moving out to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington to be with family and hunt new Thin Places.... Thin Places 06 Aug 2025 | 04:18
Spring wild pesto has become an annual tradition in the writer’s house. ( Raheli Harper) How motherhood taught me to forage For many years, I wanted to learn how to forage. I would read guidebooks and inspiring blog posts by and about people who... dirt jr. 02 Jun 2025 | 11:21
Autumn olive’s small one-seeded fruits, commonly called berries, are some of the tastiest wild fruits around. ( Heather Houskeeper) The invader with a sweet side Berries, berries everywhere. Raspberries and blackberries, huckleberries and blueberries weigh heavy on cane and twig, however... Wild Food 24 Apr 2025 | 12:21
The world in a jar We have developed terrarium fever. I warn you, it could be contagious. This affliction began over the winter with terrarium... dirt jr. 05 Mar 2025 | 01:28
Chickweed in flower ( Heather Houskeeper) Early spring is wild greens time The green starts slow. Miniscule leaves appear along the walkway, indiscernible shoots spring forth in the garden, fuzzy... Wild Food 05 Feb 2025 | 12:14
Burdock’s spikey, thistle-like flowers transform into the burs that we find in our sweaters and pup’s fur. ( Heather Houskeeper) Beneath the burs, a sustaining taproot The shortening days and cooling temperatures signal to plants that it’s time to store up, direct energy to their rootstock... Wild Food 01 Sep 2022 | 03:57
“Even when we drop off one of the older ones at the activities or lessons, we still go hiking, mushroom foraging or fishing – some sort of activity in between.” Up at 3:30, no coffee required Dr. Irina Gelman hasn’t seen many weekends recently. “Throughout the pandemic we were lucky to get one day off,” said Gelman,... How Do You Saturday? 08 Oct 2021 | 11:44
