On a recent camping trip to the central Oregon coast, we went on hike like we usually do, and came across what we believed to be salal berries! I snapped a few photos, then double checked my guidebooks when we got back to camp, and discovered that they were, in fact, salal berries. We decided…
Forage
Foraging and wildcrafting for your own food and medicine is a great way to get outside and reap the benefits of being out in wild areas. It gives you access to some of the most nutrient rich and healing plants, all while getting some much needed exercise and fresh air. Foraging is good for your body as well as your mind and soul! I love teaching others about the benefits of wild food.
Foraging for Wild Poppies
Hello and happy summer solstice! We are fully into the summer season now, and wildflowers are popping up everywhere. I love finding and identifying them, especially when I discover that they are edible or medicinal (or both!). Wild California poppies are a common sight for us here in Southern Oregon. No, they won’t quite put…
Foraging for Mugwort
Mugwort is one of the first plants that I foraged for as an adult, and it sort of happened by mistake. It grew in huge patches along the river in Yosemite National Park, where I spent many summers. Joel and I loved how it smelled and thought that it was a variety of sage (turns…
Foraging for Purple Dead Nettle
I can almost guarantee that you’ve seen purple dead nettle growing at one time or another. You may not have realized it, as it can sometimes be fairly inconspicuous, but if you really start to pay attention to the plants around you, I’m certain that you will see it growing. It’s one of those plants…
Foraging for Morel Mushrooms
This spring has been an exciting one for many reasons, but most recently because I found some morel mushrooms! This elusive mushroom is prized for it’s tastiness, and can only be wildcrafted as no one has figured out how to grow them (yet). They come up in spring to early summer, depending on where you…
Foraging for Stinging Nettles
I’ve been interested in foraging for stinging nettles for quite a while now, but I have to admit that I was a bit scared because of the “stinging” part. There’s a definite reason that I don’t have any tattoos, as I’m not super excited about voluntarily inflicting pain on my own body. I mean, I…
Foraging for Willow
One of the first trees or shrubs to bud in early spring is the willow. I remember as a child getting so excited to find pussy willows, although back then I didn’t liken it to the changing seasons. I’m pretty sure I just thought they were neat and fuzzy and like little tiny kittens, so…
Foraging for Pine Needles (and other conifer needles)
Late fall and winter can be a tough time for foragers in the majority of North America. After the fall mushrooms are gone, there isn’t a whole lot left in the realm of wild food. The one thing that most of us have, no matter where we live, is pine or other conifer needles. They…
Foraging for Dandelion Root: Edible and Medicinal Uses
Did you know that fall is the best time of year for wildcrafting herbal medicinal roots? All spring and summer long plants such as burdock, valerian, chicory, comfrey, and dandelion are growing long taproots. Once fall comes and the plants start to die back after a frost, that taproot stores all of the plant’s nutrition…
Foraging for Chanterelle Mushrooms
Aha! We finally did it! We have been out and about on many trails for the past few weeks with the hopes of finding some chanterelle mushrooms, as this is the time of year for them in the Pacific Northwest. Our luck hasn’t been so great, but it’s still been relatively dry in the Rogue…
