Foraging At Putnam Park

Naturalist/author “Wildman” Steve Brill will lead one of his famous foraging tours of Putnam State Park in Redding at 1 pm Sunday, September 12.

This woodland park is as scenic as it is bountiful. A great abundance of edible and medicinal wild plants and mushrooms makes it a great venue for foraging in the fall, according to Mr Brill.

Common edible “weeds” such as Asiatic dayflower, chickweed, wood sorrel, and sheep sorrel grow in sunny areas throughout the park.

An area near the parking lot where the group will meet features large, tasty burdock roots. The trail sides are full of sassafras and black birch trees, while rocky slopes provide mullein and northern bayberry leaves.

The group will hunt for berries such as the sweet-sour autumn olive (actually a member of the honeysuckle family), and the mild-flavored but colorful partridge berry.

This is one of the best locations for wild nuts, according to Mr Brill. Participants will learn how to collect, process, and use these tasty, nutritious foods.

Putnam Park is one of the best parks anywhere for wild mushrooms, according to Mr Brill, especially if it has rained beforehand. In past years, foraging groups have found large quantities of choice honey mushrooms, pear-shaped puffballs, and aborted entoloma mushrooms on this tour.

The three-hour walking tour begins at 1 pm, Sunday, September 12, in the parking lot by the statue (not by the lake) off Route 107 in Redding. The suggested donation is $15/adult, $10/child under 12.