I’ve been visiting family on the central California coast, which has been wonderful. I always like going to other parts of the country to see what I can forage, and the temperature here is so mild that you can pretty much find edible or medicinal plants year round. Late spring and summer is when the…
Summer Foraging
Kick off your summer foraging expeditions with our foraging guides. You'll discover the joys of finding delicious berries and healthy herbs in the wild like Plantain, Mugwort, Lemon Balm, Mullein, even Cattails!
Foraging for Salal Berries and Leaves
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! IÂ 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…
Foraging for Wild Poppies (California Poppies)
In spring and summer wildflowers start 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 and in other western states. No, they won’t quite put you to sleep like Dorothy…
Foraging for Mugwort
Mugwort is an edible and medicinal plant that has many uses. Foraging for mugwort is easy and fun, and it grows almost everywhere! Learn how to identify and forage for mugwort, plus all of its uses in your herbalism and natural medicine practice. Wildcrafting Weeds If you want to learn more about the edible and…
Foraging for Blackberries
I’m pretty sure that I don’t have to describe to you what blackberries look like, as they are the quintessential foraging food. Ever since I was a kid I have been collecting wild blackberries from mid to late summer. I remember my little sister and I would start checking the local blackberry patch in late…
Foraging for Mullein
Learn all about how to forage for mullein and use it in DIY herbal remedies. Mullein leaf, flowers, and roots have many benefits and magical properties that are good for your health and can be used to make herbal smoke blends, easy homemade herbal tea, and more. Mullein should be in every herbalist apothecary. Let’s…
Growing and Foraging for Raspberries (and their leaves!)
We lucked into a raspberry patch at our place, that much is for sure. Such a welcome surprise to discover! Not only has it given us wonderful berries for the past couple of months, but it has also provided us with medicinal leaves that we have been drying and storing for use throughout the coming…
Foraging for Lobster Mushrooms
Joel and I have spent the past couple of days on the southern Oregon coast, and it was wonderful! I had my hopes set on finding some chanterelle mushrooms, as they can be quite prolific in the coast range. As we were driving south down the coast, we saw a small side road that led…
Foraging for Oregon Grape
One thing is for sure, we are fully into the foraging season now. I’m starting to get really excited for all of the wonderful foraging that will be happening soon, especially berries! In this post I will be talking about foraging for Oregon Grape, which isn’t technically a grape at all, but a bush in…
Growing and Foraging for Lemon Balm
You have probably seen lemon balm growing whether you knew it or not. In the mint family, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennial herb that spreads rapidly and has become a fairly common “wild” plant. When I’m out foraging and I see what looks like a plant in the mint family it is more…