Feral Foragher

10/10/2026

I love the energy at farmers markets....
I was back near my hometown today at the Chappaqua market. I used to commute from this train station into Manhattan, working in a law firm and then earning two masters degrees in theology . It feels like a different life....
I ran into a family I was close with when I was a youth leader and a friend who joined my very first gift circles and foraging classes.
Now i am selling organic produce, eggs and flowers with Titusville Farm and next Saturday I will be leading a foraging workshop at the Chappaqua market as well.
Life is endlessly interesting if we have the courage to continue growing and learning (and recognize that we actually know nothing).

09/22/2026

Celebrations of the autumnal equinox, and a call to slow down:

Meditate n**e in the glorious sun, reflecting on the changing light and shadows in our microcosms and our larger microcosm

Light a fire and sit by it, contemplating the nature of beauty, death, and transformation

Pick Autumn Olive and enjoy the fascinating vertebrae and invertebrate life all around us

Create art with natural materials like autumn leaves

Enjoy a local, seasonal meal

Join me for "Meditation and Exploration of Several Common Plants" Pawling Library; an evening of grounding, gratitude for the oft-overlooked in our tiny lives and the larger ecosystem, and a discussion on dispersing narrow, emotionally charged narratives that simply do not serve.

09/21/2026

This bi-weekly craft night we made fruit leather with Elaeagnus umbellata, also known as Autumn Olive and/or Sparkle berry.

There is so very much to say about this incredible stone fruit, both ecologically, culturally and nutritionally.

Fascinating snippets:
*It is currently illegal to buy, sell, transport or plant/tend this species in New York.
*During the 1950-1970s our same government mobilized masses of people to plant this species, to colonize uninhabitable mine tailings, slow soil erosion, increase the nitrogen in soil, and provide wildlife habitat.
*This fruit contains 17 times the lycopene (an antioxidant) of tomatoes, per weight. Some consider this food to be THE BEST cancer fighting fruit on the planet.
*While tomatoes, apples, pears, and many other domesticated fruit require frequent spraying of fungicides, herbicides and pesticides - not to mention meticulous attention to innumerable details such as soil health, pruning, irrigation and fertilizers - one scrappy Autumn Olive shrub can produce between 30 and 80 lbs of food per year...without any assistance!
*These shrubs will grow just about anywhere with high sunlight, and thrive in distrurbed and degraded soils; drought and pestilence be damned.
*Even the seeds of this fruit contain benefits for us, with fiber, healthy fats like Omega 3, Vit E and protein.

I truly adore this resilient, CURRENTLY maligned shrub and appreciate the ecological role it fills in our overly disturbed, and even destroyed, ecosystems.

09/19/2026

Wondering where the sexy farmhers (and foraghers) go on the weekend?
Around working markets, classes, CSA drops, and chicken care we do our very best to enjoy vitskybakery .
Our favourite approach is each getting a few different pastries, sitting outside and passing them around, while discussing emotions, love interests, farming and other important topics.

Have you tried the sourdough at Vitsky?! Crafted from local, organic and heirloom grains it is simply the best. I serve it at every foraging class I lead, often with freshly churned, wildcrafted butter.

Join me on Tuesday, the autumnal equinox, at Pawling Library for "Meditation and Exploration of Several Common Plants" 6:30-8:00 pm, I shall have a loaf waiting. ;)

09/17/2026

So much of foraging is grounded in awareness and mindfulness.
I look forward to this program!!

Pawling Library

09/17/2026

Sign up now!

There is space remaining for: Meditation and exploration of several common plants- https://mailchi.mp/e8fc7f294c28/come-help-us-grow-9952041

09/08/2026

09/08/2026

What a gorgeous time of year.

Short clips of harvest autumn olive, Elaeagnus umbellata, for the Titusville Farm farm store! I will be at the farm store Wednesday and Friday.

This is one of my absolute favourite wild berries to harvest, to eat, to share, to gaze upon.
The amount of nutrient dense food right outside our doors staggers my mind and heart.

Some of my favourite recipes thus far are ice cream, fruit leather, and ketchup! Many people remove the seeds, however at this point I simply leave them for a fun crunch.

I have also delivered 5lb to my chef Swyft Restaurant & Bar and Ore Hill ...his creations with this berry boggle my mind.

Gathering this food/medicine surrounded by greenery, supported by bird and insect song, and bathed in sunlight is truly the way I prefer to spend a busy cultural holiday.

08/15/2026

Foraging workshop at Cold Spring Farmer's Market this morning.
The engagement of parents is vital to youth education. I have led programs for young ones in the past, knowing that when they returned to their daily lives at school and home the themes we explored together would likely be - at best - forgotten and - at worst - downright rejected.

Using a "w**d" in the backyard to treat a bee sting? Ridiculous.
Picking and eating that shiny red berry off the bush? Dangerous.
Considering evil "invasives" as much-needed resources for our current health crises? Preposterous.

When generations come together to learn something new, the energy can flow and continue. We can blossom into a new way of seeing and interacting with the world in a lasting, meaningful way.

Cold Spring Farmers' Market

08/02/2026

Oh yeah baby - and it's all FREE!

Don't miss this...