Expand your knowledge of edible wild plants and learn to cook them at a workshop hosted by Stearns Farm and the Sudbury Valley Trustees on Wednesday, July 20 from 3-7 pm.
Foraging expert Russ Cohen will lead the “Weed & Feed: Collecting and Preparing Wild Edibles” program. “One enjoyable aspect of foraging is connecting with the outdoors through your taste buds as well as your eyes and ears,” says Cohen. “If you already like being outdoors, knowing what you can nibble on adds to the fun.”
Participants will ramble around Stearns Farm and local conservation land for two hours, then relocate to Wolbach Farm in Sudbury to prepare and eat what they pick, as well as other wild ingredients and dishes contributed by Cohen. . Novices and experienced foragers alike will learn about edible plants that they can find on the farm and around the community as well as how to harvest wild plants safely.
Cohen became interested in foraging as a high school student in Weston. The author of Wild Plants I have Known…and Eaten, he has been teaching for more than 40 years around New England and upstate New York. The local food movement has created a resurgence of interest in wild plants among people “who want to connect with their food directly,” he says.
Some plants, like purslane, lambs quarters and mallow, grow abundantly, Cohen says. But others, like ramps and elderberry, which are popular with chefs, are in danger of being overharvested. “Some people go out into the woods and they see dollar signs,” he says. “So I also teach conservation.”
Cohen suggests that participants in Wednesday’s workshop may want to bring their phones to take pictures, a pad and pen for notes, and plastic produce bags to collect plants for cooking. Anyone new to foraging should plan to concentrate on learning about a few plants among at least two dozen that Cohen plans to cover during the walk.
Register for the program online with Sudbury Valley Trustees or call 978-443-5588 X123. The price for the workshop is $40, or $30 for Stearns Farm or Sudbury Valley Trustees members.
