Naturalist "Wildman" Steve Brill Leads Hunt for Wild Foods!

At 3 p.m., on Saturday, September 21, America's go-to guy for foraging, "Wildman" Steve Brill, will lead one of his world-famous foraging tours on the grounds of Woodcock Nature Center, 56 Deer Run Road, Wilton!

What might you find during your 2-hour walk around?

According to Steve Brill: Here's a natural area that's great to explore in the fall with lots of plants and mushrooms in to discover. There are cultivated areas, thickets, a pond, and woodlands, all with different plant communities.

Fall is a great place for mushrooms. With enough rain beforehand, we might find gourmet fall species, such as chicken mushrooms, hen-of-the-woods, honey mushrooms, pear-shaped puffballs, gem-studded puffballs, oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and blewits. And each species has its own special flavor.

This is the only season for nuts, again species you can't buy. We'll hunt for white oak acorns, shagbark hickory nuts, and black walnuts, all delicious raw or in any recipe that calls for nuts.

Wild herbs and greens will also be thriving in fields and disturbed habitats. We'll look for lamb's-quarters (a wild spinach), ground ivy, wood sorrel, sheep sorrel, poor man's pepper, field pennycress, watercress, wintercress, hedge mustard, and Asiatic dayflower. In addition, we'll be finding culinary and medicinal herbs such as black birch, yarrow, sassafras, mullein, andspicebush leaves and berries.

Roots are in season in autumn, so we may find burdock root,which tastes like a combination of potato and artichoke; wild carrots, and common evening primrose. Try making Sesame Rice with Burdock after the tour.

The suggested donation is $20/adult, $10/kids under 12.

Please call Steve Brill at (914) 835-2153 at least 24 hours ahead to reserve a place.

For more information, CLICK HERE.