This well-known greenway, with open, sunny habitats, wooded sections, thickets, and edges, is ideal for finding the best edible wild plants of early spring, and this tour, led by Violet Brill, will give you the best opportunity to learn about, collect, and enjoy some of our best common, tasty, renewable species.
In open, sunny areas, we'll be finding common- and long-leaf plantain, related garden "weeds" that are loaded with dozens of biologically active compounds you can use for a variety of skin irritations. Rub the crushed leaf repeatedly on a fresh mosquito bite for 15 minutes, for example, and you'll be cured. You can also roast the leaves with ground cooked chickpeas, white miso, crushed pine nuts, olive oil, and savory herbs, to make chips far better than kale chips.
Common Plantain
This common "weed" is an outstanding home remedy and food.
Sunny areas should also provide super-nutritious chickweed, which tastes like corn, lemony-flavored curly dock, intensely-flavored bitter dock, and common dandelions, which taste like lettuce on steroids. In addition, there should be lots of garlic-flavored field garlic, as well as lemony sheep sorrel and curly dock, plus garlicky garlic mustard.
Young Garlic Mustard
These deeply-veined, heart-shaped leaves smell and taste like garlic, a good defense against insects, unless Italian bugs find it!
Burdock root, prized in Japan, and which tastes like a combination of potatoes and artichokes, is in season now, as are the artichoke-flavored stems, prized by the Italians.
Burdock
This tasty, deep taproot is a staple in Japan.
If it's rained enough beforehand, mushrooms could be in season too. We'll be looking for mica caps, which make an outstanding dip, seafood-flavored oyster mushrooms, and chewy tree ears.
Mica Caps
Generally considered mediocre, when they're young, these common, early-season mushrooms are terrific baked down into a dip with olive oil, white miso, and savory spices.
If you want a taste of early spring, this tour is for you!
The 2-hour foraging tour of the Croton Aqueduct, led by Violet Brill, begins at 2 PM, Sunday, June 6, at the trail entrance at the intersection of Main St. and Cedar St., in Dobbs Ferry, NY.
Please note:
- Participants should be dressed for the weather, and be aware of very bad subway service. Trains are often canceled due to track work.
- No sandals (there are mosquitoes, thorns and poison ivy). Everyone should have plastic bags for veggies and herbs, paper bags for mushrooms, which spoil in
- plastic, containers for berries from late spring through fall, water and lunch, and extra layers when it's cold. Digging implements and pocket knives are optional.
- Dogs are permitted. Children are encouraged to attend.
- There's no smoking whatsoever at any time.