Lisa M. Rose
wild tales from the journeys of lisa m. rose
Tag: local food
Safe and Sustainable Foraging Tips
By Lisa M. Rose Foraging connects us with the natural world, offering a pathway to understand the land, its cycles, and the bountiful edible plants that grow wild around us. Whether you’re a novice eager to explore the greens outside your doorstep or an experienced forager looking to deepen your practice, this guide provides essential …
Wild Foraged Flavors for Winter Meals
How do you roast chestnuts for a winter table? Sweet chestnuts (Castanea) ripen from late September. Score a slit in the bottom of each shell with a sharp knife, roast them in a heavy iron skillet on the stovetop, then peel and eat them warm or add them to stuffing. Never confuse them with horse …
Simply Sassy: A Mitten Gal’s Sassafras Rootbeer
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 …
Claiming Our Place At the Table: Growing the Good Food Movement
On September 21, 2001, a group of about 25 people representing all sectors of the food community – from farmers to schools to clinics to social agencies addressing hunger – gathered at what is now known as Feeding America West Michigan. With Groundswell farmer Tom Cary at the helm and with me taking notes, we …
“Midwest Foraging” Featured in Chicago Tribune
To read the entire Chicago Tribune article, click HERE.
Summer Staycations: Foraging with Kids
There’s no better place on earth in summer than #PureMichigan. Summer vacation is a time to load the car and head to the lakeshore – bikes tied to the back and sandals in tow. The great thing about our Great Lakes state is that we are never more than 20 minutes from an outdoor adventure …
The Magic Nectar of Maple Syrup
Who doesn’t love that dark amber nectar of real maple syrup – the sweetness of the trees and one of the earth’s most decadent and natural sweeteners? Click HERE to watch me rave about syrup on WZZM13. We treat maple syrup like it’s liquid gold in my house – a precious food that I love to use …
Maple Syrup: A Forager’s Sweet Treat
Can you hear the trees awakening? It’s maple syrup time for the farmers and foragers setting out to tap the maple trees! Even though the land around us continues to be covered with a deep blanket of snow, there’s a shift in the trees. With warmer days and cold, clear nights, the trees are stretching their hibernating …
Weedy & Edible: Garlic Mustard
What is the adage, “A weed is a plant that is growing where you don’t want it?” Abundant in areas of disturbed soil – at the forest’s edge, along roadsides, and on river floodplains – the Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata, Brassicaceae) is deemed by many as a noxious, invasive species, choking out native vegetation and spreading wildly across …
Wild Leeks: A Tasty, Precious Sign of Spring
Spotted: Wild leeks, Allium tricoccum Regionally, Wild Leeks are distributed as far east as New York State and through Canada, west into the forests of Wisconsin and Minnesota and south into Appalachia. Here in Michigan, the Wild Leeks (or Ramps are they are also called) are plentiful in the Beech/Maple woods along the rivers and on …