Hudson River Museum
Sunday, May 17

In a preview for the impending celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's exploration of the Hudson River, the museum is cosponsoring an exploration of Trevor Park, adjacent to the museum, to discover the edible and medicinal wild plants and mushrooms growing there. And in mid-spring, the thickets, wooded area, and lawns will be rampant with wild food.

Pokeweed is one of tastiest vegetable in the world, and you'll learn how easy it is to prepare it so it's at its best, during the peak of its season. (Harvest or prepare it incorrectly or out of season, and you'll poison yourself.)

Garlic mustard will also be at its peak now, with sweet-and-hot, garlic-flavored leaves and flowers. This plant is invasive, so its best to eat as much as possible (it's wonderful in salads and pesto) before it spreads.

Field garlic is even more garlicky, especially the underground bulbs, now at their peak. They're easy to dig up, and very abundant.

Burdock is also very common here. You'll need a shovel to unearth the deep taproots, but it's well worth the effort. A staple in Japanese cuisine, the huge, nutritious roots taste like a combination of artichokes and potatoes after you cook them.

Violet leaves, common here too, are also delicious, raw or cooked. We'll also find lamb's-quarters, which taste like spinach, but better; as well as lemony flavored wood sorrel.

Poison ivy also grows here, as it does in virtually all parks, so you'll learn how to recognize it, and how to use jewelweed, which usually grows nearby, to prevent any skin irritation if you're rash enough to touch poison ivy.