On Saturday, June 3, Great Barrington Land Conservancy hosted naturalist and wild edibles enthusiast Arianna Alexsandra Collins at Lake Mansfield to teach participants about wild edible and medicinal flora. She covered plants you can find on a lawn such as Plantain, White Clover, Red Clover, and Dandelion. She also went over shrubs such as Lilac and Multiflora Rose, and wetland plants such as Cattails. Walking into the Conservation Forest we learned about Wood Nettle, Garlic Mustard, Eastern Hemlock, Black Birch, and White Pine.
After our walk we sampled Nettle pesto and Nettle veggie salad made by GBLC Board member Christine Ward and sun teas of Rose, White Pine, and Lemon Balm made by Arianna.
Arianna Alexsandra Collins is a professional consultant, writer, poet, and outdoor educator, specializing in natural science/natural history. She is a wild edibles enthusiast and loves sharing her experience with wild foods and medicines. Arianna is based in Ashfield MA. She offers workshops and individualized Land Inventories. You can find her at Offerings for Community Building. Follow Offerings for Community on Facebook for pictures and recipes, and read her Hearken to Avalon Blog which includes articles on wild edibles. Read her article in Northern Woodlands conducting a Wild Edibles Land Inventory and providing some recipes.
Arianna offered several recommended resources to learn more about wild edibles:
- Blanche Cybele Derby, based in Northampton, MA https://identifythatplant.
com/foraging-resources/ blanche-cybele-derby/ scroll down page to her YouTube channel. And she has cookbooks as well. - Russ Cohen, based in Arlington, MA http://identifythatplant.
com/foraging-resources/russ- cohen/ - To explore GBLC lands watch Housatonic River Walk wild edibles series with Russ Cohen https://housatonicheritage.
org/learn/housatonic-river- walk-wild-edibles/ - Alexis Nikole Nelson aka Black Forager based in Ohio https://www.facebook.com/
blackforager Follow her on FB for fun informative videos on flora id and dishes she creates. Watch her Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@ BlackForager - Learn Your Land with Adam Haritan based in PA - lots of informative id videos https://www.youtube.
com/@LearnYourLand - https://www.ediblewildfood.
com/ - https://www.eattheweeds.com/
- Arthur Haines http://www.
arthurhaines.com/books - Samuel Thayer https://www.foragersharvest.
com/sams-books.html - Leda Meredith, Northeast Foraging
- New England Wildflowers (Falcon Guide) - general color coded plant id resource.
- Misty Cook, Medicine Generations
