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“It is in vain to dream of a wildness distant from ourselves. There is none such.”
--Thoreau

A Sunday at Stone Barns is a delight. For those unfamiliar, it is a peaceful farm & sustainable ag center, with wild & cultivated land, in the hills of southern Westchester county (basically, paradise for me). The day was full of blue skies, fluffy, rolling clouds, really good coffees and chocolate confections, wild edible walks, and book shopping! I picked up one guide on foraging in the Northeast and another on medicinal herbs! Expect to find me rummaging about in wooded areas and disturbed roadsides spots for the next few weeks, putting new learning to good use; followed by kitchen preparations. Here’s some of what I saw and sampled today...

Lamium, or henbit, not to be confused with purple dead nettle (though, they are both edible) can be enjoyed raw or cooked.



Stinging nettle (which Gregory Crawford, once taught me how to harvest without getting stung) can be dried for teas; or used fresh and blanched for delightful pestos. It’s a super food!


Not edible, however beautiful. Virginia bluebells.


Empty, with just a small hole on one side, found on a wooded pathway.



Redbud or forest pansy; when those little pink buds flower in a few days, they can be used as a snack, garnish, or stir-fry treat.



Non-native, periwinkle blossom.



Super delicious, non-native Japanese knotweed.



Mugwort! Use as a seasoning, or a tea for recalling your dreams, relaxing your muscles, aiding digestion.



This pollinator lost her way on a stone wall. Honey bees are super important. Edify yourself. And some more.



Lovely, colorful apiary.


Sassafras flowers are delicious. Harvest the roots in the fall for teas and tinctures.



Wild ramps! Harvest with care, difficult to re-establish.



Lesser celandine (left, yellow flower) should be harvested before it flowers. Viola (right, purple flower) is an edible blossom.