Feral Foragher

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...

07/31/2026

Today is the last day of "National Blueberry Month" (and my birthday, and the harvest festival Lughnasadh).

There is so much to say about blueberries, one of our native fruits here in North America. They bring joy in the gathering and protection in the ingesting.
Did you know that blueberries reduce neuroinflammation, improving cognition and memory?
Did you know that blueberries offer cardioprotective properties?
Did you know that blueberries help us combat and/or avoid Type 2 Diabetes?
Did you know that blueberries support gut flora and digestive health?
I could go on....and some studies cite wild blueberries to contain as much as 50% more nutrition than those commercially grown.

In the last image, can you distinguish the huckleberries (genus Gaylussacia) from the blueberries (genus Vaccinium)? Well, half the time neither can I - until I put them in my mouth. I'm working on the botanical distinctions... But both wild berries are delightful!

If you can, gather and consume wild blueberries in as little clothing as possible. This helps the healing properties, for me at least.
Check out my favorite poem, by Galway Kinnel:
https://inwardboundpoetry.blogspot.com/2008/12/752-last-gods-galway-kinnell.html?m=1

Also, enjoy Adam Haritan's brief discussion of the medicinal benefits of Highbush Blueberries:
https://youtu.be/0ObbBXfzLsY?si=_IEK85AX9eo7fNSt

07/31/2026

"Yes CHEF!": adventures gathering wild food for my favourite chefs

The other night, before our glorious torrential downpours, I wanted to go for a night hike.
I had been sitting on my porch earlier, when a HUGE thunderclap had me levitating, and the lightning strike sent a current of electricity through my hands and body. Storms were coming, winds were brewing, but I wanted to see the almost-full moon before cloud cover obscured the skies. I drove a bit north up Rt 22 and began to walk. I love exploring at night without flashlight, all of my senses come alive and I "see" magic everywhere.
My (arguably favourite) chef had just requested some sumac, in addition to wild berries and wood sorrel. I have read in many sources that the sumac heads lose their flavor after rain, and this was on my mind. As the sun set and the lightning bugs emerged, the lightning flashed in the distance. I walked and walked along a new trail, wondering where I would find sumac that a) I could reach and b) was not growing along a busy and potentially polluted roadside.
Wallah, I found my answer. Here were smaller sumac specimens, which I could reach by jumping. The rains were fast approaching, and my moment was nigh.
Using the moonlight and lightning flashes I identified Staghorn Sumac trees, and managed to harvest a solid several pounds of the fresh, lemony drupes. I was unprepared, with no cutting tools nor collection basket. Instead I used my hands and stuffed my tshirt as full as possible. I returned to my vehicle amidst the first light rains, having soaked in the energy of the ever-nearing storm, gazed at our gorgeous moon, and collected my last ingredient.
The landscapes and plants around me grow ever more familiar, and I thoroughly enjoy interc
I look forward to the culinary marvels Chef Ryan at Swyft and Ore Hill will craft with those sumac drupes. Learn where your food comes from, enjoy a meal at Swyft and follow my foraging adventures for the backstories of the wilder ingredients.

Swyft Restaurant & Bar

07/22/2026

Did ya'll know the prickly Bull Thistle is a tasty trail side snack?

You just need to strip the prickles from the young basal leaves, and you can munch on the juicy mid rib.

Check out these beautiful pollinators on the bloom!

I am in the Endless Mountains in Pennsylvania at the moment, camping in Loyalsock State Park and preparing for a Forage and Cook program on the morrow.

There are so many ripe, luscious berries at the moment; I shall share them tomorrow. For now, I'm going to light my campfire and cook some young, unripe Milkw**d seed pods before sauteeing them in butter.

What a bounty...

07/22/2026

Property surveys are the heart of what inspires me, and this past consultation CHARGED ME UP!

Last week I visited Todd and Stacy and their bright sons in Sharon, CT. They introduced me to their land, and I introduced them to some of the resources already thriving there. They showed where they began to let parts of the yard grow in after attending one of my foraging classes last summer.

Of the 60 species we casually documented, 50 are edible and/or medicinal. A favourite discovery of theirs was that they could enjoy eating their Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus (shown in the first image)! We plunged through Goldenrod, Honeysuckle and wild Rubus species, nibbling and sniffing and picking ticks off. As I took my leave, with my clipboard filled with named, they gifted me a moose steak from Todd's father in Maine.

Connecting to our land truly heals us in many ways. Their family, fortified with knowledge, has access to a vast amount of food and medicine. The plants outside are friends and allies and healers, we merely need open our eyes and minds.

Reach out and we will schedule your property survey, unlocking resources languishing beneath your notice.

07/14/2026

Providing ridiculously fresh and well-grown domesticated crops is incredibly important. This past weekend Titusville Farm brought our first organic cantaloupe and watermelons to the markets.

Sourcing wild nutrient-dense foods is also incredibly important, particularly due to the increased phytonutrient content which prevents and treats our modern slue of chronic diseases.

These are some of the topics we will discuss during my foraging program at the Cold Spring Farmer's Market on August 15th.

You can shop at the Titusville stand AND learn about local, wild resources AND consider some fascinating ideas around agriculture, human psychology, empowerment and cultural narratives. We can truly eat within and support our local food webs.

Cold Spring Farmers' Market Kevin Nutrition and Healthy Recipes

07/11/2026

Today's programs at Glynwood were filled with enthusiastic youth and adults. (Pics to come in the future)

This was my first class discussing a favourite summer "w**d" of mine, Matricaria discoidea also know as "Pineapplew**d' or "Wild Chamomile"

I led our groups around the back of the incredible Glynwood Farm Stand (honestly, I am in awe of the quality and variety of local products and produce) and asked whether, as we walked, anyone smelled pineapple. Sure enough, we began crushing, sniffing and nibbling on this precocious plant. I have only ever found pineapplew**d growing in incredibly compacted, disturbed, gravel-ly areas. Mostly farm parking lots - not paved with asphalt.

I have eaten an ice cream made with the foraged leaves and flowers, and would never have guessed that conventional pineapple was NOT an ingredient!
I look forward to making teas, eating it in salads, infusing dressings, mixing cocktails and adding it to desserts.

Here is a short blurb on this astonishing species:

A gentle, child-friendly herb naturalized around the globe, use any aerial parts

Internal uses:
Used medicinally much like German Chamomile, settles stomach upset, lessens bloating and gas, and soothes the body
Relaxes the nervous system, and acts as a mild sedative
“Matricaria” indicates its use for uterine cramps
Has been used to treat intestinal worms
External uses:
Cleans and soothes infected sores
Dried blossoms have been used by first nations groups as an insect repellant
Consideration: Avoid if allergic to chamomile

**d

07/08/2026

A misty, magical 10 mile, rainy walk through a fantastically quiet Minnewaska in the Catskills.

We had water dripping out of unheard of crevices and pooling in my shoes (I dumped them out several times before simply realizing I should just walk barefoot, and did so for the latter 6 miles). The blueberries, Vaccinium spp, and huckleberries , Gaylussacia spp, (both in the Heath family Ericaceae) were rain kissed and scrumptious. And the red berries in one of the last images are Amelanchier, or Juneberry/Serviceberry/Shadbush berries. They have the most incredible, unique flavor: similar to a blueberry with a dash of almond but truly indescribable.

I am so grateful to my visiting Scottish sister Ruth and her partner Jaime - the weather did not have them pausing or complaining for a moment. The entire hike was filled exploration, connection and a deep sense of joy in being together. We all need such people, fresh berries and adventures in our lives.

07/03/2026