Foraging in the Catskills by Tatiana Havryliuk

Last month we foraged for medicinal and edible plants in the Catskills. There is hardly a better way to spend a partly cloudy and rainy weekend with diehard SLR WM interest group members!

     

Below are some of the things we learned from the expert forager, herbalist and RN,  Marguerite Uhlman-Bower. Please see references below.

Also, a small disclosure: do not start randomly eating plants. Make sure to use ID books and get professional guidance (not this blog) before you eat wild things.

  

1.   Rose leaves/flowers and wild strawberry leaves have astringent/drying qualities and can stop bleeding from a cut  (chew and place directly on cut) or even from your gastrointestinal tract (strong tea)!

 2.    Dandelions have potassium-sparing diuretic properties and also contain large amount of inulin – a complex carbohydrate  that is indigestible and is good for the gut micro flora. There are also close to 20 types of dandelions and they are all safe to eat!

 3.     Plantango(plantain) major is a broad-leafed plant commonly encountered on the trails that has anti-microbial properties and can be chewed and then applied to various wounds (bee stings or splinters) or made as tea and applied as a wound wash.

4.     Wild garlic mustard plant  is one of our favorites. The leaves actually taste like garlic. It’s great in salads and also has  blood thinning properties.  

 5.     Red clover is sweet and delicious and helps maintain balance during hormonal changes. One should avoid it in estrogen- dominant cancers.

 6.     Mullen is a large leafy plant with velvet texture that strengthens lungs and kidneys. Its flowers can be made into oil and used to treat ear infections!









7.     Valerian root  teas and tinctures are sedating and anxiolytic.  However for 20% of population it has stimulating effect.

8.     St. Johns wort can be used topically for neuropathic pain  (i.e. sciatica, neuralgias). Check for medication interactions before use.

9.     Milk weed is supposed to takes like broccoli and asparagus after complicated cooking procedure (boiling twice!). However it didn’t pass our taste test. Also it has a toxic look-a-like Dogbane. So it’s better to just stay away!

 10. Golden rods makes tea that cures your sniffles during allergy season. There are about 75 varieties, so you can go crazy!










11. Pine needles are rich in Vitamin C and have anti-viral property. Make them as tea. You can eat them fresh when they are still soft at the tips of  the branches. If there were more pine trees in NYC  that’d be my staple snack! Caution – make sure you are not eating the pine needles from American Yew as that can kill you! Check your references and consult with the pros.

 12. Turkey Tails are the mushrooms found on dead trees that come out in December and have anti-cancer properties, especially for lung.

 And Ramona thought it was all weeds in her backyard… This is just a little sampler and there is a lot more to learn. Please don’t become a cocky novice forager who gets renal failure and/or dies. That won’t be our fault!

In conclusion, we ate a foraged meal supplemented with handmade pasta and wine, the latter two were purchased. We ate edible rose petals in our salad, it was so luxurious that you might need to try it out.

Happy foraging!

References:

Plant Walk May 30, 2015 by Marguerite Uhlman-Bower. This also includes techniques on preparation of tea, oils, and tinctures and an extensive reference list on plant identification, edibles and mushrooms.