The New York Permaculture Meetup
Hunt for Heritage Apples in Central Park
with naturalist/author "Wildman" Steve Brill
At 11:45 AM on Sunday, Sept. 15, America's go-to guy for foraging, "Wildman" Steve Brill will lead one of his world-famous foraging tours of Central Park, beginning at Central Park West and West 72nd St. Thanks to its varied habitats and combination of native and introduced species, this world-famous park overflows with wild food.
If the weather has been rainy, the mushrooming should be excellent. In years where there was exceptionally rainy weather, we found hundreds of dollars worth of prized prince mushrooms on a path across from the Museum of Natural History, and they may be back again under similar circumstances. Other great species we may find include chicken mushrooms and ringless honey mushrooms.
Many common wild greens also abound. We'll hunt for lamb's-quarters (a wild spinach), sour wood sorrel and sheep sorrel, spicy poor man's pepper, mild lady's thumb, and string bean-flavored Asiatic dayflower. We'll also cover culinary and medicinal herbs such as burdock, sassafras, and common spicebush. The latter also bears oblong red berries that make a fantastic, allspice-like seasoning.
Speaking of fruit, there's usually a huge crop of wild apples just northwest of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and west of Park Drive East. Further south, we may also find stands of sour-flavored quince.
We'll also look for hawthorn berries, related to apples, and with a similar flavor. The fruit of the hackberry tree, on the other hand, tastes like the candy coating of M&M's. And wild raisins, a.k.a. black haws, with a flavor of prune butter and a texture of bananas, will also be ripening.
The 4-hour walking tour begins at 11:45 AM, Sunday, September 15, at 72nd St. & Central Park West. The suggested donation is $20/adult, $10/child under 12. Please call (914) 835-2153 at least 24 hours in advance to reserve a place.
For "Wildman's" 2013 tour calendar and additional info, visit Foraging with the "Wildman."
New York, NY 10044 - USA
Sunday, September 15 at 11:45 AM
Attending: 1
Fee: suggested donation: USD 20.00 per adult, $10/child
Details: http://www.meetup.com/nycpermaculture/events/138622182/