Holcomb Farm
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This education farm, where art meets nature, encompasses 322 acres of yummy edibles which we'll explore all afternoon.
This is the only season when nuts are ripe. We'll be looking for flavorful black walnuts, white oak acorns—great in stuffing, or ground and dried into flour; and shagbark hickory nuts, little-known but very flavorful. Lots of herbs and greens do great in the fall. We'll look for tasty species such as field garlic, wood sorrel, sheep sorrel, lady's thumb, Asiatic dayflower, chickweed, and the new growth of violet and dandelion greens |
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Plenty of fall fruits also ripen now. We may find a bounty of wild apples, apple-flavored hawthorns, wild raisins, which taste like a combination of bananas and prune butter; American hackberries, which taste like the candy coating of M & Ms, and apricot-flavored wrinkled rose hips.
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 Wild Raisins This little-known fruit is delicious raw, and makes a great filling for pastries. |
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Spectacular mushrooms may also be coming up at this time, especially if there have been days of heavy rain beforehand. Huge hen of the woods (sold in health food stores as maitake), gigantic chicken mushrooms (which taste like chicken), golden-brown honey mushrooms, the prized prince mushroom, and savory wine-cap stropharia mushrooms may be emerging from trees or wood chips. |
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The 2-hour walking tour begins at 9:30 AM, Saturday, October 10, at Holcomb Farm, 113 Simsbury Rd., in West Granby, CT. In case of severely inclement weather, an indoor presentation will replace the tour. The fee is $15 for nonmember, $10 for members, $5 for children.
Call (860) 844-8616 at least 24 hours ahead to reserve a place. |
