Impatiens capensis, also known as Jewelweed, is a prize for foragers. When you are foraging, especially in wooded areas, you are sure to come across poison ivy. Poison ivy is best identified by the “leaves of 3” in one cluster and by it’s bright green to reddish green leaves. The urushiol in poison ivy can cause… [read more]

In the Spring, when the weather turns warm, many will go out foraging, especially for wild mushrooms. Wild mushrooms are an exciting edible to search for as they can be on the rare side. As a result, foraging for mushrooms becomes a race. A race to see who will get that prize first. Wild mushrooms… [read more]

In the spring, there is a very short window of time for our favorite wild mushroom to grow. Morel mushrooms are a delicacy to go foraging for, and savored for sure! They appear just when the leaves on the trees are starting to come out, as sunlight is able to warm the earth more directly.… [read more]

Shepherd’s purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris, is a plant that is easy to identify. The base of the leaves make it look similar to dandelion as it starts to grow. At first, the leaves are rounded, but they become more deeply toothed as the plant matures. The leaves bear a resemblance to the knapsack carried by shepherds,… [read more]

Dead nettle, sometimes referred to as purple dead nettle, (Lamium purpureum) is all over our yard this spring. We are loving to go foraging for dead nettle! I once thought of dead nettle only as a horrible weed we needed to pull, but I now understand how useful it is. The common name of ” purple… [read more]

Enjoying nature and it’s bounty is the heart of foraging. It’s all about foraging for wild edibles. What to take with you when you go foraging. I love the homesteading life. It’s about simple, healthy living for us. Enjoying nature and it’s bounty. Raising much of our own food, and foraging for wild edibles. From dandelions,… [read more]