Pretty But Poisonous: Deadly Mushrooms To Avoid

There are a lot of wild mushrooms that are considered inedible and even toxic. But a few may be lethal if consumed in sufficient quantities–and sometimes those quantities aren’t very much. Here are some of the species you’ll most want to avoid when foraging for mushrooms; as the common names suggest, these are nothing to […]

Our Place in the Universe – Excerpt from Mushroom Wanderland

Mushroom Wanderland PG38

Excerpted from Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager’s Guide to Finding, Identifying, and Using More Than 25 Wild Fungi. Copyright (c) 2021 by Jess Starwood. Used with permission of the publisher, The Countryman Press, a division of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. In the same way that mushrooms can heal and nourish us, […]

A Brief History of the Pumpkin – From Ice-age Megafauna to New England Pumpkin Pie

The star of the autumn garden is the pumpkin! This iconic squash’s round shape and bright orange color are found in imagery surrounding harvest festivals all through the season, to include modern American favorites Halloween and Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie is a beloved dessert for fall festivities, though the squash also lends itself well to soups, […]

What Are Wild Edibles?

Wild edibles can be found in almost every habitat and environment. From mountain slopes and forest clearings to marshlands and even your own back yard. If you’ve ever picked blackberries from hedgerows, or perhaps collected hazelnuts from your local woodland, you’ll have already enjoyed some of the wild edibles that nature can provide. More people […]

Our Place in the Universe – Excerpt from Mushroom Wanderland

Excerpted from Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager’s Guide to Finding, Identifying, and Using More Than 25 Wild Fungi. Copyright (c) 2021 by Jess Starwood. Used with permission of the publisher, The Countryman Press, a division of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. In the same way that mushrooms can heal and nourish us, […]

Fungi as Medicine – Excerpt from Mushroom Wanderland

Excerpted from Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager’s Guide to Finding, Identifying, and Using More Than 25 Wild Fungi. Copyright (c) 2021 by Jess Starwood. Used with permission of the publisher, The Countryman Press, a division of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Mushrooms have garnered the attention of humans for as long as […]

How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms (Detailed Steps)

Oyster Mushroom

Courtesy of Benson Udoh of Umuntu Integrated Farms, Nigeria BASIC STEPS IN OYSTER MUSHROOM FARMING: Requirements: Growing Space Spawn(Seeds) Substrates preparation Bagging the substrates Sterilizing/Pasteurizing your substrates Inoculation of your substrates bag Incubating the substrates Fruiting(harvest time) You will need… Straw (the medium for growing the mushrooms in) Containers (for soaking straw) Plastic bags (or […]

Milk Caps & Candy Caps – Excerpt from Mushroom Wanderland

CandyCap Basket

Excerpted from Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager’s Guide to Finding, Identifying, and Using More Than 25 Wild Fungi. Copyright (c) 2021 by Jess Starwood. Used with permission of the publisher, The Countryman Press, a division of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Lactarius rubidus, L. fragilis, L. deliciosus, L. indigo, etc. When people […]

Aromatic Gardens And Their Mood-Enhancing Benefits

Article brought to you courtesy of Emma Wilson with CBD-news.co Gardening requires special skills and passion. It does not mean that anyone cannot get into this habit if they genuinely want to try things out. However, it takes a lot of commitment and love for the trade actually to plant a garden that will be […]

How to Buy Wild Mushrooms – Everything You Need to Know

Foraged

Article courtesy of Jack Hamrick, Co-Founder of Foraged – The Marketplace for Wild & Specialty Foods. Mushrooms are having a moment right now – and many people have been looking to learn more about how to buy wild mushrooms. They make for a great, healthy alternative to meat in all kinds of dishes, they offer […]

Here Are 5 Common Outdoor Plants Containing Cannabinoids (That Aren’t Cannabis)

Echinacea purpurea

In light of the growing body of scientific literature around medical cannabis, public interest in the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids is at an all-time high. Cannabinoids are now a mainstay in several burgeoning industries including sports medicine, snack foods and vaping. However, it’s worth noting that they don’t only come from cannabis — and are […]

Dig This: We Can Protect Wild American Ginseng – By George Lindemann

american ginseng Panax quinquefolius

Author: George Lindmann of www.coalcreek.com Throughout the year, my four kids and I organize our snake boots, our chigger repellant, our tools (which can include shovels, smart devices and gps software) and head out into the moist, dark Appalachian forests of Eastern Tennessee. Throughout rural Appalachia, “ginsenging” is a family affair. The knowledge of how […]

4 Poisonous Relatives of Tomatoes and Potatoes

Solanaceae is a family of plants including a wide variety of perennials, annuals, shrubs, and vines. The potato (Solanum tuberosum), eggplant or aubergine (Solanum melongena), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) belong to this family. As a group of plants, it is even often referred to as the ‘potato family’. Other notable members include the notorious deadly […]

Is Jewelweed A Good Poison Ivy Remedy? (Scientific Studies)

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) is a plant native to the northeastern and midwestern US. It has a long history of use medicinally by multiple Native American tribes. Its primary use medicinally is for an external application to rashes, particularly poison ivy. Poison ivy ( Toxicodendron radicans) often grows side by side with jewelweed. There are only […]

5 Edible Survival Plants Everyone Should Know(Worldwide)

Allium vineale - Wild Garlic Bulbs

Modern society is built on the backs of tens of thousands of years of human beings surviving off of hunted and foraged food. Identifying and foraging for wild edibles is a skill that almost every human being still has the ability to cultivate. Most of us today don’t have years of experience honing our plant […]

5 Easy to Forage Edible Winter Plants of the Northeast

Berberis thunbergii, Japanese Barberry fruits and leaves

Foraging interest and activity always peaks in the fall. Then inevitably it declines quickly with the cooler weather. There is a lot of interesting plants to forage that are available in the winter and for some such as hairy bittercress they even continue to grow on days that are warm enough. Getting familiar with these […]

5 Reasons Why Lab Grown Meat is Better

First Cultured Hamburger

What is Clean Meat?For those of you living in a cave(which some of our readers probably do) and haven’t heard of the recent advances in lab grown meat, let me update you. Within the last 2-5 years “clean meat” companies as they prefer to be called have made significant progress toward the goal of affordably […]

How to Have a Nice Lawn and Eat It Too!

green lawn

Misconceptions About Well Manicured Lawns Well Manicured lawns are often vilified by the foraging community. Homeowners are often accused of pointlessly using harmful chemicals that are bad for humans and our local ecosystems. Although this is often the case, it does not have to be. It is important to be aware of potential pesticide use […]

Foraging Fatality Statistics 2016 (Please Share)

Poisonous Mushroom

The information in this article is vitally important for anyone who is interested in foraging, mushroom hunting or wild crafting. If you can share this information and help save 1 person it is worth it.  It’s cold and snowy here in New England right now and far from prime foraging season but I thought this […]

Eating poison ivy – does it make you immune?

Poison Ivy (Toxidendron radicans)

Many of us in the U.S. have had a traumatic run in with poison ivy or poison oak (on the west coast) at some point or another. I am only mildly allergic to poison Ivy but that doesn’t mean I was immune to it’s reign of terror when I unknowingly brought it home to my […]