Bad Forager: Mistaking Hemlock for Fennel

...ing us with the tale of how he ate some fresh hemlock leaves in a an early foraging error and spent hours vomiting. And yes, I was just fine. It got me to thinking how vitally important taste and smell are to a forager. Looks can be deceiving, but scent and taste are always there for you. I hesitated over those seeds because they did not taste the way I expected them to taste. I didn’t do it out of fear. I wasn’t thinking about hemlock. But I was...

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Forager and Humanurist Nancy Klehm in Los Angeles

Nancy Klehm is coming to Los Angeles for two exciting events–one on foraging and the other on humanure: Edible Urbanforage Walk Saturday February 16 4 to 6 pm. February, is the ideal time to forage Los Angeles! Nance Klehm will be leading this urbanforage. On this walk, we will learn to identify edible and medicinal plants, hear their botanical histories and stories of their use and share tastes of what we find. The urbanforage will start with an...

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Nasturtium Powder

...artner Mia Wasilevich (friend them in Facebook if you want a daily dose of foraging greatness) I decided to make a nasturtium powder. It’s simple: Dry the leaves. Here’s a fast way: take a bunch of nasturtium leaves and spread them in a single layer between two paper towels. Microwave for two minutes. Or use more conventional methods. Just don’t let them get so dry they lose color. (Important note from Mrs. Homegrown: Careful with this microwave t...

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Italian Dandelion Redux

...omfort in these uncertain times to observe such a hardy plant. While my cabbage and kale wither under the hot sun and an army of aphids, the Italian Dandelion seems immune to both pest and disease. And, nearby, volunteer mallow hints at a spring of easy foraging. Horace was on to something. And to all who responded to my call for urban homesteaders: I’m overwhelmed by the response (and the emails!). You are all an incredible inspiration and, like...

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In the Zone

...ent on a Los Angeles Mycological Society mushroom foray with Bat Vardeh of Foraging and Mushroom Hunting Women of SoCal, on the 9th way up in the Angeles Forest. It was the most gnomecore thing I’ve done in a long time. We traversed an area dramatically altered by the Bobcat fire of 2020, giving our gnomecore revelries a bit of a post-apocalypse vibe. But amidst the destruction we found mushrooms that thrive in burn zones. The fire vaporized whole...

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