Foraging

Ah, dandelions. Whether you love seeing them in your yard or detest them, you’ve got to admire their resilience. Despite our best efforts to purge them from our landscape, these …

This spring, while you’re out tidying your flower beds, don’t forget to cut a handful of hosta shoots to go with dinner. Hostas are a classic landscape filler, immediately recognizable …

Where fresh water meets land, the cattail stands tall, its cylindrical seedheads and upright sword-like leaves lightly swaying in the breeze. Cattails are so ubiquitous to water that it’s quite …

A visit to any trendy food vendor will yield some interesting ingredients on the menu. For example, my daughter recently tried squid ink ice cream at one of our favorite …

Crunchy, tangy capers are a staple in Mediterranean dishes. These tiny buds pack a flavorful punch and go great in everything from seafood to the classic chicken piccata. Normally, there’s …

Every winter, there comes a point where you bundle up tightly, head outdoors, and it hits you, right in the face – that little whiff of spring. Instead of bitter …

It is officially spring when little yellow flowers begin to pop up in the thousands, turning every lawn into a star-studded carpet worthy of applause. Not everyone thinks the same …

At first glance, plants might appear totally helpless against insects, herbivores, and other leaf-gobbling predators. Like sitting ducks, plants are rooted in one spot so they can’t do the whole …

If you haven’t discovered nettle leaf powder yet, now is the time to taste the amazing flavor you’ve been missing. That’s right, nettle leaf powder is something that you eat …

Most of us know that dandelion greens are edible, but beyond that, how many of us have actually eaten them? Do you wonder how to pick them or when? Have …

When thinking about edible plants and foraging for food, ferns are one of the first things that come to mind. But, whether you’re a seasoned forager or an inquisitive gardener, …

With the holidays fast approaching, many of us are making lists and checking them twice. While some people are easy to find gifts for, there’s always one or two people …

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose… Sounds about right to me as evening temperatures are dipping to just below freezing and glittering frost fills …

Oh, folks, fall is finally here; isn’t it lovely? No more back and forth, with one day in the high 70s and the next rainy and cold. Fall has settled …

Foraging can be a great way to supplement a homegrown diet. When foraging, you may be surprised by some of the great wild edibles you can find. For example, did …

Finding free food is always a cause for celebration among the homesteading types, and the pawpaw is a prized yet often forgotten option. Considered the largest native North American fruit, …

Whether we are talking about leaves from your gracious English walnut, or black walnut leaves, gardeners have a tendency to tense up. “Not in my garden!”, they say. There are …

Stellaria media is all around us, one of the numerous early wild edibles, more commonly known as chickweed. Other names for this gracious little plant include chickenwort, starweed, maruns, craches …

Is dandelion a friend or foe? A thing of beauty or a yard-blanketing beast? Well, it all depends on how you choose to look at it. If you consider it …

Springtime is my favorite time to forage. There’s an abundance of wild edibles growing this time of year. After a long winter of heavy, comfort foods, the woods and fields …

Eat this plant. It’s garlic mustard. Eat as much of it as you can. (This is where you imagine intense music playing in the background.) Um, okay, Tracey, sure, whatever …

Raising perennial berry bushes on the homestead can take years of effort, often with minimal reward. A better option? Focus on foraging the wild fruit abundant in your region. Autumn …

Elderberries are one of my favorite fall-garden attractions. Where elders grow, the glossy, black berries on their reddish-pink stems are a definitive sight of the season. Here on our homestead, …

Rosehips are definitely one of the defining flavours of the fall. Yet many people are unaware that many rose bushes develop these useful hips (if they are given the chance …