There are hundreds of different conifer species in several families, so it can be hard to know which is which. Learn how to properly identify conifer trees, including pine, fir, spruce, hemlock, juniper, cedars, and more! Wildcrafting Weeds If you want to learn more about the edible and medicinal weeds that surround us and how…
Winter Foraging
Discover the many surprising plants, mushrooms, and herbs you can forage even during the colder dark months of winter! From festive pine needles to medicinal usnea and willow, just because it seems like nothing is growing doesn't mean you can't forage.
Winter Spice Pine Soap Recipe
Learn how to make an ultra-conditioning bar of all-natural Winter Spice Pine Soap to help moisturize your dry winter skin! With an amazing sweet-spicy evergreen scent it will be your new favorite seasonal bar! Be sure to share your love of soap making with your friends and family because this Winter Spice Pine Soap makes…
How to Tap Trees and Make Syrup in Your Backyard
There’s not usually a whole lot to forage for at the end of winter, but there is something delicious hiding in many of the trees around us: sap which can be turned into syrup! Guest writer Meredith Skyer is going to show us how to tap trees and make syrup in your backyard! Have you…
30+ Conifer Needle Recipes: Drinks, Desserts, Syrups, Balms & More!
Evergreen conifers are amazing trees in many ways, but did you know that they are edible? Indeed they are, and they make very tasty cookies, drinks, syrups, balms, and more! Read on to learn about all the delicious recipes that you can make with foraged conifer needles. These conifer needle recipes are all you need!…
Foraging and Harvesting Chaga Sustainably + Chaga Benefits
Foraging in the winter can be daunting, but if you are in a colder region be on the lookout for chaga fungus! Today I’d like to welcome guest writer Lucia Hadella who is going to teach us all about foraging and harvesting chaga sustainably. You can read more about Lucia at the end of this…
Foraging and Using Birch: Bark, Leaves, & Sap
Birch trees are one of my fall and winter foraging favorites, and they have many edible and medicinal parts! Today I’d like to welcome guest writer Lucia Hadella who is going to teach us all about foraging birch trees including birch bark, leaves, and sap. You can read more about Lucia at the end of…
Foraging for Usnea: A Super Medicinal Lichen
You have most likely seen usnea, also known as Old Man’s Beard, when you are out in the forest. I see it all the time hanging in long strands from conifers when I’m hiking here in the pacific northwest. What you may not have known is that usnea is a super medicinal lichen! I love…
What to Forage in Winter: 30+ Edible and Medicinal Plants and Fungi
Foraging in winter is not always easy, and it gets even harder the further north or higher in elevation that you are. The super cold temperatures, low light, and heavy snow cover in these areas can really make it difficult for anything to persist and survive through winter. There are a few wild plants that…
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…
