Prospect Park
|
 |
|
Because Prospect Park includes so many varied habitats, it's loaded with shoots and greens in early summer, and many of these are edible and medicinal. And the berries, wild and cultivated, are spectacular. We'll begin a lush juneberry bush, growing near the park's Grand Army Plaza entrance. One the the tastiest fruits in the world, it's astounding that these berries, which taste like a combination of blueberries, apples, and almonds, have never been cultivated. |
 |
|
Juneberries taste even better than they look!
|
|
Nearby, we'll find corn-flavored chickweed, in season all year. Then we'll proceed southeast to a vast stand of celery-flavored goutweed, stopping for lamb's-quarters leaves at the edge of the path. Further on we'll find vast stands of burdock, a despised "weed" with a delicious edible and medicinal root. Near the picnic house, we'll harvest sweet, flavorful mulberries in quantity by shaking the branches over a dropcloth. Related to figs, you can use these berries in any fruit recipe. Afterward we'll look at the nearby domestic plum tree to see if it's bearing it's luscious fruit this year. Then we'll check out the top of a ridge to hunt for spicy poor man's pepper, hedge mustard and field pennycress, all members of the mustard family. If we're lucky and it's rained beforehand, we find a gigantic gourmet chicken mushroom and there could be savory wine-cap stropharia mushrooms sprouting from wood chips anywhere. |
|
The 3-hour walking tour begins at 1 PM, Saturday, June 21, at Prospect Park's Grand Army Plaza Entrance.
|
|
Call (914) 835-2153 at least 24 hours in advance to reserve a place.
|