Wild Edibles
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Bruce Ingram
September’s Wild Edible: Paw Paws
Known for its colorful nicknames such as mountain custard, mountain banana, custard apple, and here’s a new appellation…the hipster banana, I would describe Asimina triloba as tasting something like a cross between a banana and a pineapple. Read more
Aug 31, 2021
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Bruce Ingram
March's Wild Edible: Brown Cup Mushrooms
The brown cup mushroom is an important harbinger of spring. Read more
Mar 1, 2023
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December's Wild Edible: Shagbark Hickory Nuts and Bark
Some effort is required to eat shagbark hickory nuts, but it’s a worthwhile enterprise as the nutmeat inside features a delightfully sweet aroma. Read more
Dec 2, 2020
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Bruce Ingram
November's Wild Edible: White Oak Acorns
With the widespread disappearance of the American chestnut across most of the Blue Ridge, the reigning signature tree of the region has to be the white oak. Read more
Nov 6, 2023
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Bruce Ingram
May’s Wild Edible: Dryad’s Saddle
Though most foragers concentrate on yellow and black morels, Dryad’s saddles are well worth pursuing, too. Read more
May 1, 2024
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Bruce Ingram
January’s Wild Edible: Hairy Bittercress
A close relative of watercress, bittercress is one of the first wild edibles to make their yearly appearance in the Blue Ridge. Read more
Jan 9, 2024
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Bruce Ingram
April’s Wild Edible: Black Morels
They go great as toppings on meat entrees, and they are sublime in any kind of egg dish. Read more
Apr 1, 2024
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October's Wild Edible: Summer Grapes
Every autumn from late September to mid-October my wife Elaine and I prowl the backroads of Botetourt County, Virginia searching for this fruit. Read more
Oct 1, 2020
Bruce Ingram
October’s Wild Edible: Black Cherries
Along the driveway leading to Elaine’s and my Botetourt County, Virginia home lies a black cherry tree (Prunus serotina). Read more
Oct 15, 2024
Bruce Ingram
September’s Wild Edible: Hackberries
You won’t find enough for a pie, but you’ll enjoy them as a quick pick-me-up. Read more
Aug 30, 2024
Bruce Ingram
August’s Wild Edible: Honey
Paul Hinlicky, who along with his wife Ellen operates Saint Gall Farm in Catawba, Virginia, is an enthusiastic booster of wild honey’s benefits. Read more
Jul 30, 2024
Bruce Ingram
July’s Wild Edible: Cinnabar Chanterelles
If I hadn’t been scanning the ground for mushrooms, I likely would never have spotted one of the smallest – and tastiest - of the Blue Ridge Mountain’s edible fungi… the cinnabar chanterelle. Read more
Jul 1, 2024
Bruce Ingram
June’s Wild Edible: Garlic Mustard
In the Blue Ridge states, depending on elevation and how far south or north you are, garlic mustard appears sometime in April and disappears sometime in June. Read more
Jun 3, 2024
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