Acorns, a vital Michigan local food, are nutrient-dense and versatile nuts. Though processing them is labor-intensive, they can be transformed into flavorful ingredients like nut butter and flour. Gathering acorns fosters community connections, as families come together to shell and prepare them. Recipes, such as acorn banana bread, showcase their culinary potential.

It’s that witchy time of year when the leaves blow from the trees and the winds howl through the misty October darkness. Apple cider, pumpkin carving and costume decorating is underway for the fun celebrations that fall across the last days of October. As a forager and herbalist, here’s my own Scary {but Edible!} list of …

A rose-infused vinegar spray is an effective remedy for sunburns and poison ivy rashes, promoting healing and reducing inflammation. To create it, steep rose petals in apple cider vinegar for two weeks, then strain and store. An alternative is to use chamomile tea bags in vinegar. Order “Midwest Medicinal Plants” for more remedies.

In Michigan and across much of the Midwest it’s a SNOW DAY! The snow out my window already blankets the ground with drifts in some areas over 2 feet deep! This makes me glad for the season’s harvests that already are packed away in my pantry for hearty winter meals — the acorn flour, the fruit …

Yup I said it. Pie. Who said foraging and eating wild edibles was all about tree barks in tea and wild and bitter leaves in salads?? Us foragers also love a really yummy PIE! {which that’s not to discount the barks or bitters, btw}. We all know and love a good strawberry-rhubarb pie in the …

The dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is much more than a weed — it is a healthful salad green and important herbal medicine. As a food, dandelion should be included at the dinner table. Bitter greens such as dandelion help the stomach in digestion by increasing bile production. It’s a good spring habit to add handfuls of …

Garlic Mustard: An Edible, Bitter Green Dandelion, parsley, arugula, romaine, radicchio, endive are all delicious, bitter greens of springtime that make perfect addition to salads!  Why do bitter flavors matter? Bitter flavors of plants, while having a negative connotation to many, may be one of the keys to our wellness.  Bitter flavors help stimulate digestion, bile …

While on a trail run through the dunes of Hoffmaster State Park this summer I realized that there is no other smell reminiscent of my West Michigan lakeshore upbringing than sassafras. That aromatic, spicy rootbeer fragrance of the sassafras floats on the breeze in the dew of the morning or after a wet, damp rain. It is one …

Weather’s changing. Glad for a warm hearth, food on my stove and a pantry & apothecary full of ways to keep me & my family healthy this winter. Counting my blessings. With the cold, damp weather upon us, one of my most favorite warming drinks is Chai. I like my chai so many different ways …

Infused in cold water overnight, the sumac berries of Rhus glabra and Rhus typhina make a great-tasting, refreshing sour and citrus-like beverage that is delicious on its own or simply sweetened with honey and garnished with lavender for an extra herbal flavor.