Category Archives: foraging
Spicy Landscaping
Bay leaf has been a culinary staple dating back to ancient Greek civilizations. Cooks use it fresh or dry. Many won’t serve spaghetti sauce without it, but few grow their own. Bay leaves come from a medium to large evergreen … Continue reading
Hazelnuts
The holiday season is upon us again and familiar goodies abound on store shelves. Mixed nuts have always been a favorite of mine ever since I was a kid. I always enjoyed cracking them and extracting the sweet meat. Pecans, … Continue reading
Beautyberry
Take a walk on the edge of the woods in the fall, particularly near an old cemetery or abandoned landscape. Your eyes will likely zone in on some iridescent purple to magenta berries. They encircle the stems in clusters and … Continue reading
Appalachian Christmas
Sometimes our fondest memories are simple things that didn’t cost much. I know they are for me, because Christmas doesn’t come from a store. My wife is from rural West Virginia. Her parents were tenant farmers, meaning they worked long … Continue reading
Mistletoe
Christmas is getting closer and bunches of mistletoe again adorn doorways. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is one that originated with the Druids. A white berry-like fruit is removed after each kiss. When all are gone kissing is … Continue reading
Witch hazel
I was out for a drive after Hurricane Sandy and noticed the storm had speeded up the leaf drop a little. Because of that I was able to see some of the most interesting late fall flowers in the landscape. … Continue reading
Don’t trust the birds
Recently I’ve written about some obscure brightly colored fruits many think are poisonous. Beautyberries and firethorn are edible and birds love both. Don’t let the latter fool you, because you can’t trust the birds. Now that leaves are beginning to … Continue reading
Nutria
I’ve heard them called muskrats on steroids. They’re the kudzu of the animal world, an uncontrollable pest introduced from South America. These semi-aquatic rodents can grow to 30 pounds. In the process they eat a lot of vegetation. Many introduced … Continue reading
Groundsel tree
Groundsel tree October to November is the time of the year when cotton bales are seen in bunches as we drive to and from work. Despite that, there’s still a lot of white out there. Large feathery shrubs dominate the … Continue reading
Firethorn
If anyone has experience with this shrub they know how aggressive the sharp thorns can be. Pyracantha (Pyracantha coccinea), otherwise known as firethorn, is a climbing woody shrub that produces bright reddish orange berry-like fruits. They persist late into the … Continue reading
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