Stamford Museum
Wednesday, April 16

As part of the Museum's Take a Hike week, during the course of 3 walking tours, we'll explore the nature center's 118-acre network of trails, fields, meadows, and lawns. There is so much in season at this time of year, that even though it's going to be "Wildman's" first visit, there'll be different things to find on each of the 3 tours.

Sunny areas will probably feature edible/medicinal "weeds" such as corn-flavored chickweed, mild-flavored shepherd's purse, sour-flavored sheep sorrel, and chewy common mallow.

Star Chickweed

Star Chickweed

Loaded with nutrients, this common, tasty plant often grows in thick mats. Add it to salads to impart the flavor of corn; steam it, or add it to soups or stews, where it tastes more like spinach. Present to some degree all year, it's especially lush in early spring and late fall.

Along trail edges and in disturbed areas, we'll search for pungent garlic mustard and field garlic, flavorful nettles, piquant Japanese knotweed, and hearty burdock root. In fields, we could find tasty wild carrots, sweet-and-hot common evening primrose root, and maybe even wild aspargus. And forests may provide onion-flavored ramps, root beer flavored sassafras, and wintergreen-flavored black birch.

If there's been enough rain beforehand, we could even find rare early spring mushrooms such as enokis, oysters, and tree ears.

The 3 walking tours run from 10 AM to 11 AM, from 11 AM to 12 PM, and from 1 PM to 3 PM at 39 Scofieldtown Rd., Stamford, CT.

The tours are free with admission to the museum: members, free; non-members: adults $8, seniors and students $6, children $4, children 3 and under free.

Call (203) 322-1646 for further information. No reservations are necessary.