Spring Southeast Events

Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum)
This is just one of the wild edibles presently speckling our lawns, roadsides, and garden edges. Its triangular leaves, square stems, and lavender flowers make the most delectable pesto when blended with a heavy pour of olive oil, chopped walnuts, crushed garlic, and shredded parmesan cheese.

Happy Spring my fellow plant enthusiasts and hiker comrades! I must apologize, I have been a lil' delayed in getting this post up, but the truth is I have spent the last so many months in a winter of writing, pouring all my energy into getting the next book on the shelves. In between your warmer weather forays into the woods, keep checking back here at the blog for the release of, A Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Finger Lakes Trail. It should be available in the next month!

The good news is, now that the purpose for all that writing is coming to fruition, I'm hitting the trails and the herb and trail festivals again...presently in the Southeast. I had the pleasure of seeing a number of you at the Mother Earth News Festival in Asheville this past weekend. Thank you to all of you who attended my talk, Eat Wild: Identifying the Wild Edible Plants in your own Backyard. For those of you who purchased a guide, I hope you are already nibbling on those Violet leaves, Wild Onion shoots, and Dandelion flowers adorning your lawns. For those of you who were too busy hiking to attend, I'll be leading a number of other events in the Asheville area this month. Check out the schedule below:

A Mountains to Sea Trail Plant Walk

hosted by Diamond Brand:

April 12th, 1-3 pm, Diamond Brand Outfitters in Arden, NC

Cost: Free

Join me for an easy walk along NC's long distance trail, identifying the edible and medicinal plants along the way. Be sure to bring your cameras and a notepad (or for the tech-savy, your smartphones!)
https://www.facebook.com/events/476501832550765/

 

Book Signing

hosted by Diamond Brand Outfitters in Arden, NC

April 14th, 3pm - 6pm

Get your wild edible and medicinal plant questions answered, talk trail, and get a signed copy of,
A Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Mountains to Sea Trail

 https://www.facebook.com/events/1067128940013400/
 

The Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Appalachian Trail

at Hot Springs Trail Fest

April 16th, 12-1 pm

Learn about the plants found throughout the Southern Appalachians, swap hiker stories with thru-hikers, and enjoy some foot stomping music in the beautiful town of Hot Springs, NC
Cost: Free
http://www.hsclc.org/newsevents/trailfest.html

 

Urban Wild Foraging: Identifying the wild edible and medicinal plants in your backyard, city streets, and urban thickets

hosted by Villagers in West Asheville, NC

April 26th , 6:30 - 8:30
Join me for a presentation on our local wild plants and a plant walk through town. Herbal snacks and tea provided.
Cost: $15 - 25 sliding scale
http://forvillagers.com/collections/classes

Spring Herb Fest
at the WNC Farmer's Market
April 29th - May 1st, 8:30 - 5 pm 4/29 and 4/30, 10 - 3pm 5/1 
This is Asheville's 27th annual Herb Fest. Vendors offering every plant imaginable, as well as herbal products and goodies will be on site. Come pick up a signed copy of, A Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Mountains to Sea Trail!
http://www.ashevilleherbfestival.com/festivalinfo.htm

After these events I'll be heading back up to the northeast where a slew of other hiker and herbal fests will be in full swing...our flowers are just beginning to show their faces there, so by this time we'll be celebrating their full arrival.

I'll also be sure to fill you in on my woodland ventures, mountaintop views, and little known trails in my new home of Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania. I know, I know, "Where in the world is Lackawaxen?" On the map, it's about as tiny as a single Wild Mustard seed, but as far as it's beauty goes, it's Daylily blossom big.