To Emily, my amazing sister who got me into foraging in the first place.

                         Black Trumpet

Where/when to find:  They are found in Summer and Fall near Beech and Oak trees. They grow near moss and water. 

How to Identify: They grow 1 to 3 inches tall.  They are shaped like a trumpet and the colors are brown and black.  It's a good beginning mushroom because you can't mistake it for something poisonous.

Life cycle:  They grow in the same spot year after year.

How to use:  It tastes yummy sauteed. But you cannot eat them raw.

Where/when to find:  The Common Blue Violet is found in early spring in the Eastern United States.  It grows wild in meadows and grass.  It likes cool, moist, and shady places.    

How to Identify: The leaves are at the base of the stem.  The flower has 5 blue petals and usually a white center.  Sometimes the center has blue instead. 

Life cycle: It is a perennial which means that it comes back every year.  

How to use: You can eat the flowers and leaves raw.  It is tasty in salads, soups, and cooked greens.  

Benefits: It treats the common cold, headaches, cough, sore throat and constipation.

Common Blue Violet

Where/when to find: Fiddleheads are found from May through June in Central and Eastern Canada and America.  They can be found in shady woods near water and also in moist places.  They also grow in bunches.

How to Identify: Unlike other ferns, the Ostrich fern has a U-shaped stem.  It is curled tightly and has a brown paper-like cover.   

How Much to Take:  Don't take all of the Fiddleheads from the bunch, take about 2/3 of the Fiddleheads.

How to use:  You can't eat them raw but they taste good sauteed.

 Fiddleheads

( Ostrich Fern )

                     Goldenrod

Where/when to find:  Goldenrod is found in grass and fields late to early fall.  You can find different species in North America and other parts of the world.

How to Identify: It is 2-5 ft. tall with bright yellow flowers.  The green leaves are long and narrow.

Life Cycle:  The goldenrod is a perennial which means that it grows back every year.  

How to use: You can eat goldenrod flowers and leaves raw.  You can cook the leaves like spinach.  It can also be dried and made into teas and tinctures.  

Benefits:   It can help with urinary tract infections, kidney stones, colds, the flu, and allergies.  

Where/when to find:  It's found worldwide in fields and meadows it's best to be harvested during early bloom.   

How to Identify: There are three large leaves with a gray V in the center of the leaf.  There are tiny hairs on the stem and the leaves.  The Red Clovers grow in a big clump.

Life cycle:  The Red Clover is a biennial which means it dies after two years. 

How to use: You can eat the leaves and the clovers cooked or uncooked.  It's good in a salad.

  Benefits:  Hair and skin, bone, and heart health. 

Red Clover

Where/when to find: Yellow Chanterelles grow in shady moist areas.  They are ready in late spring and early fall.  They grow slowly over a month or two, they also come back in the same spot every year.     

How to identify:  They are yellow and dark orange and the caps are shaped like a funnel.

How To Use:  They taste good sauteed and in soups.

Benefits: They contain potassium, copper, iron, anf vitamins A, B, C, D & E.  They are anti-infalmatory and can help heal wounds.  

            Yellow Chantrelles