Enable High Contrast Mode
Disable High Contrast Mode
Foragers & Herbalists: The Reluctant Assassin – Foraging for Big Game in the Hudson Valley
November 30, 2022
By Mark Eis As a kid in upstate New York, deer hunting was a sort of autumn background noise that I generally ignored, a ritual undertaken by the kids still […]
Foragers & Herbalists: Preserving Your Harvest Part 2
October 31, 2022
By Merrie Witkin Last month’s column discussed ways to preserve fresh herbs. This month we discuss storing and using dried herbs, including in herb mixtures. Over the past few weeks […]
Foragers & Herbalists: Preserving Your Harvest Part 1
September 29, 2022
By Merrie Witkin It has been a tough summer for Hudson Valley gardeners, with high temperatures and the longest drought (at least in Southern Ulster County) I can remember. With […]
Foragers & Herbalists: Fattoush – Middle Eastern herb and bread salad
August 31, 2022
By Merrie Witkin Every culture has its ways of using leftover bread, the sacred staff of life, and summer bread-embellished salads are a popular means of doing so. Panzanella, the Tuscan bread […]
Foragers and Herbalists: Stuffed Wild Grape Leaves
July 29, 2022
The perfect finger food: Stuffed wild grape leaves (dolmades) By Merrie Witkin When John Le Carre coined the phrase “ the constant gardener” as the title for his 2001 political […]
Foragers and Herbalists: When Mint Comes into its Own
June 24, 2022
When mint comes into its own Come June, mint is popping up full force in my garden. That is okay, because it comes in handy for cocktails on the patio […]
May 23, 2022
By Merrie Witkin When I started writing this column, stinging nettles (urtica dioica) were not anywhere on my radar. But I am blessed with an eagle-eyed gardener who knows his […]
Foragers & Herbalists: Orzotto with Fresh Greens
April 25, 2022
by Merrie Witkin Orzotto verde con Piselli (Barley cooked risotto-style with fresh greens and peas) I had hoped that this column would be all about ramps, the wild leek that […]
Foragers & Herbalists # 4: The Springtime of Wild Chives
March 22, 2022
by Merrie Witkin As the snows of winter recede, most of us look forward to our favorite springtime rituals— walking in the woods and fields and seeking out early spring flowers, […]
Foragers and Herbalists: Why Herbs Part II
February 18, 2022
By Merrie Witkin When we last convened during the snows of January, I was waxing volubly about the benefits of cultivating herbs. This month, part II of that discussion focuses on […]