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wild food

Missing Man Found Unlawfully Harvesting Wild Ginseng

October 29, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

ECO Woodin with seized ginseng in Delaware CountyA Delaware County, NY man reported missing over the summer may not have wanted to be found. Reported missing on August 31st after failing to return home, multiple law enforcement agencies searched for the man and his vehicle. [Read more…] about Missing Man Found Unlawfully Harvesting Wild Ginseng

Filed Under: Food, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Recreation Tagged With: Catskills, Crime and Justice, DEC, Delaware County, Middletown, Native Plants, wild food

Wild Blueberries: A Primer

August 6, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

lowbush blueberry courtesy Wikimedia user Fungus GUy Among summer’s many sweet offerings are wild berries. And among these, blueberries are my favorite. Years ago, I took to carrying large, empty yogurt containers in my car – and smaller vessels in my backpack – so I would have something to fill should I pass a good berry patch. My children became used to my meandering travels along back roads and woods trails as I foraged opportunistically. [Read more…] about Wild Blueberries: A Primer

Filed Under: Food, Nature Tagged With: birds, Fruit, gardening, Native Plants, nature, small mammals, wild food, Wildlife

In Praise of Dandelions

May 20, 2022 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

Dandelion courtesy Cornell Cooperative ExtensionWhy do we hate lions? For reasons that are beyond any logic I can see, we have been convinced that dandelions are posies non grata in our landscapes. Yet they are a critical food source for native pollinators, vitamin-packed culinary delights, and multi-purpose herbal remedies. I’d say that’s not bad for a “weed.”

In fact, dandelion is so well-respected that it bears the Latin name Taraxicum officinale, roughly meaning “the official remedy for all disorders.” It has many reported health benefits, including as a liver support, for alleviating kidney and bladder stones, and as a poultice for boils. I don’t pretend to know every past and present medicinal use of the plant, and I recommend consulting an herbalist, as well as your doctor, before trying to treat yourself. [Read more…] about In Praise of Dandelions

Filed Under: Food, Nature Tagged With: nature, wild food, wildflowers, Wildlife

Mustard Power: An Historic Food Crop

January 15, 2022 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

mustard plant courtesy Wikimedia user Nafiur RahmanFirst domesticated in Central Asia some six-thousand years ago by ancient cultures looking for the best way to ruin shirts, mustard has evolved from zesty warm to blistering hot to the point that it’s now being developed as an ultra-low emission jet fuel.

Given the large size of the mustard or Brassica family – some 3,000 strong, according to Cornell University – it’s no surprise that it comprises historic food crops, showy flowers, noxious invasive weeds, and more. [Read more…] about Mustard Power: An Historic Food Crop

Filed Under: Food, Nature Tagged With: Agricultural History, Culinary History, Food, gardening, local farms, nature, wild food, wildflowers

Hunters Can Help Fight Food Insecurity

November 21, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Venison Donation Coalition logoEach year, DEC partners with the Venison Donation Coalition and Feeding New York State to help provide food for those in need.

Through a cooperative relationship involving the New York State Department of Health, non-profit organizations like Feeding New York State’s regional food banks and deer processors, hunters contribute nearly 40 tons of venison each year to needy families across the state. [Read more…] about Hunters Can Help Fight Food Insecurity

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Food, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: DEC, Food, hunting, whitetail deer, wild food

Forest Fungi: Native Mushrooms and Forest Health

October 31, 2020 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

TOS_Fungi_AmanitaVernaA walk in the woods during fall is likely to reveal an array of forest fungi. Ranging from delicate, tan mini-umbrellas to fleshy, white softballs to foot-long, orange-yellow shelves growing out of rotten logs, they come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Fungi are critical to the health of the forest, decomposing woody debris and helping trees obtain required nutrients. [Read more…] about Forest Fungi: Native Mushrooms and Forest Health

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Food, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Food, fungi, nature, wild food, Wildlife

Seeing Red During Fall Leaf Change

October 7, 2020 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

Staghorn sumac courtesy USDAEach fall there is roughly the same amount of yellow foliage, since in most woody plants Mother Nature sees fit to cache yellow pigments beneath the overpowering verdancy of chlorophyll.

While yellow is a stable commodity in the forest, red is a different story. Trees go through considerable effort to create the assortment of red pigments known to nerds as anthocyanins, so it’s not like red is just hanging around, having a beer with yellow as they wait for chlorophyll to fade. It’s a bit more complicated, which makes it less unreliable. [Read more…] about Seeing Red During Fall Leaf Change

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Native Plants, nature, wild food, Wildlife

In Pursuit of Giant Puffballs

September 7, 2020 by Richard Gast Leave a Comment

puffball mushrooms courtesy University of Wisconsin Green BayPuffball is the generic name for a large group of mushrooms with similar characteristics. They come in many sizes and are usually spherical or globular in shape.

Puffballs are distinguished from other mushroom groups by the fact that they lack many of the features or characteristics that other common mushrooms possess. A puffball has no stem. It has no cap. And no external gills. All of the spores are produced inside of the fruiting body. The most common way in which they release their spores is through impact; the external force of rain or falling debris landing upon them or of animals stepping on or brushing against them, thereby compressing and/or breaking the peridium; the protective layer that encloses the spore mass inside the fungus. When that happens, as the name puffball implies, the spores are ejected in a large puff. [Read more…] about In Pursuit of Giant Puffballs

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Food, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Food, fungi, nature, wild food, Wildlife

Fishing and Food Security: From Stream To Table

August 30, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Brook Trout provided by DECCornell Cooperative Extension is set to host a webinar on fishing and food security on Wednesday, September 16th, at 2:30 pm.

In these difficult financial times, many people are expanding their options for putting food on the table (or in the freezer). One of the most abundant sources of food has been, and continues to be, in the lakes, ponds, and streams near our homes. [Read more…] about Fishing and Food Security: From Stream To Table

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Food, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Cornell Cooperative Ext, fish, Fisheries, fishing, Food, local food, wild food

Call the Dogs off the Lions

June 21, 2020 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

sweat bee on dandelion - Scott Bauer - USDA Agricultural Research Service - Bugwood.orgAlthough it’s possible dandelions arrived on the Mayflower, they do not get the esteem they deserve as plucky immigrants that put down firm roots in a new land, or as a vitamin-packed culinary delight, or as a multi-purpose herbal remedy. [Read more…] about Call the Dogs off the Lions

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Food, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Native Plants, nature, wild food, wildflowers, Wildlife

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