On October 15th VSSJ sponsored a Wild Foodie walk through the Rancocas State Park in NJ.

This informative walk was lead by Lynn Landes and Denise Devine. Lynn is the Founder of WildFoodies.org and Denise has extensive experience in gardening and with herbs, as well as being an avid camper, and wild foodie!

Their emphasis was on practicing safe and responsible foraging.

We discovered a wide variety of wild plants and how they were and can be used. Here are some of them:

Can you spot the Yarrow?  It was considered the Warrior Herb in the Civil War and was applied to wounds by soldiers
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Milk Weed – Milkweed is a lovely wildflower and the sole host plant for Monarch butterfly caterpillars.

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Spice Bush  American Indians made a tea from the bark of spicebush as a “blood purifier”

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Autumn olive berry is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin E

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Black Haw, seen at a distance and close up, has many medicinal uses

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Umbrella Magnolia not Paw Paw

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These were only a sampling of what we discovered. We had such a great time we are planning on scheduling another walk in the spring, followed by an outdoor potluck. Stay tuned!