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Foraging rose hips to pack a powerful punch of vitamin C
Rose hips are one of the best wild sources of vitamin C and a bright addition to fall foraging. Learn how to identify, harvest, and preserve them for teas and herbal blends packed with seasonal flavor and nutrients.
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Bring the bold flavor of sumac into your fall foraging
Sumac offers a strong lemon substitute just when fresh citrus feels out of season. Learn how to identify and harvest it, plus try a recipe for a sumac loaf.
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Motherwort for Foragers: 5 Simple Tips to Spot and Use This Powerful Herb
This summer I discovered I have a close connection with motherwort. I foraged a ton last year and transplanted one small plant. This year it popped up all over my yard. Big, beautiful motherwort plants, everywhere I look. I know we have an aversion to the word “wort,” but when talking about plants we’re using…
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Elderberry harvest
Elderberries are a seasonal favorite, and are easy to spot once you know the elderberry plant. Learn how to identify them, avoid common look-alikes, and understand which parts of the plant are safe to use.
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Aronia: Little berries, big benefits
Aronia berries are my go-to during cold and flu season. Packed with antioxidants, these little fruits make a simple syrup that’s easy to keep on hand.
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Why mullein isn’t always safe to forage
It’s easy to get excited when you spot mullein, but foragers should be cautious about where it’s found. Some areas can make the plant unsafe to use. Here’s why.
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Mullein (Verbascum)
I’ve spotted a ton of mullein this summer. Once you know it, it’s hard to miss it. Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a biennial plant that grows a low rosette of woolly leaves in its first year and a tall flowering stalk in its second. Verbascum thapsus is widely known as common mullein, though it’s also…
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Wild Licorice
Wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota) is a native legume that grows in prairies, along streambanks, and in open woodlands across the Northern Plains. I saw just tons of it while exploring the badlands of North Dakota over the weekend. The plant takes its name from the faint licorice-like flavor of its roots, which have been used…
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It’s Goldenrod Season
I was out in Minnesota yesterday, and came across several patches of goldenrod just at the start of their bloom. What an exciting time! Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) is one of those plants that signals late summer is on the way, with its bright yellow blossoms lighting up roadsides, prairies, and open fields. It’s often mistaken…
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Prairie Rose
When you think of roses, you might picture elaborate gardens or trellises dripping in fragrant blooms. But out here on the prairie, we have our own wild version: the Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana). It’s rugged, low to the ground, and a whole lot tougher than it looks. And yes, it’s just as beautiful. I have…
