In A Vegetarian Kitchen Review

“Wildman” Steve Brill, a naturalist and environmental educator, is also the foremost expert on foraging for edible wild plants. He conducts foraging expeditions in the greater New York City area, and I hope to attend at least one or two of these this summer.

Steve was kind enough to send me his video, called “Wild Edible Basics,” which I found most enjoyable as an introduction to this healthful, environmentally friendly activity. With his own inimitable style and sense of humor, Steve starts out by giving an overview of wild plants, both edible and medicinal, and gives lots of tips on safety—how to avoid poison ivy, what kinds of places are not good for foraging, etc. You get a good sense of the amazing scope of plants that fall into the “wild” categorizations, leaves, seeds, mushrooms, fruits (especially berries), and roots.

Then, Steve focuses on several kinds of wild plants and goes into some depth on their botanical features, benefits, and what to do with them. Some of these include black walnuts, lamb’s quarters (delicate, spinach-like leaves), wild blackberry, chicken mushrooms, and more.

He also takes you back to the kitchen to show how to prepare some of these, including a pretty detailed introduction to dehydrating, which is one of the best ways to preserve many of these plants. He also takes us to his freezer, and I must say that the berry ice cream he makes looks very tempting on a hot day like today.

Steve Brill’s video series, as well as his books on wild edibles and information on his foraging trips are all featured on his web site.