Edible Wild Plant/Mushroom Walks and Courses -
Schedule for the Year 2013.


Dulse Seaweed - Photo by Russ Cohen

Leader/Instructor: Russ Cohen


Please contact Russ at (617) 626-1543 (w), (781) 646-7489 (h), or eatwild@rcn.com for more information. You may also want to check out the hot links at the bottom of this page, especially the foraging articles from Massachusetts Wildlife Magazine, Yankee Magazine and Edible Boston Magazine, as well as the recipes for wild dishes prepared on the "Victory Garden" PBS TV show. Click Here for information on Russ's foraging book: "Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten". Copies of the book will be available at all the events below. FYI, an excerpt of Russ' book can be read on-line in the Jan/Feb 2005 edition of Spirit of Change Magazine. Listen to a foraging segment featuring Russ that aired on NPR affiliate WBUR's "Here and Now" program on 7/12/06. Click here to view a segment featuring Russ on "Fresh to Flavorful", a cooking program that airs on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.
DateTimeSponsor(s)Location
Fri., Feb. 2212:00 Noon - 1:00 PMWilliams College§
(slide show - part of the "Log Lunch" lecture series)		Williamstown, MA
Sat., Apr. 6T.B.A.Boxborough Conservation Trust§
(slide show)		Boxborough, MA
Wed. Apr. 106:30 PM - 8:30 PMMarblehead Conservancy§
(slide show)		Marblehead, MA
Wed., May 82:00 PM - 4:00 PMNunckatesset GreenwayBridgewater, MA
Wed., May 86:00 PM - 8:00 PMNunckatesset GreenwayWest Bridgewater, MA
Tues., May 2110:00 AM - 1:30 PMNourish Restaurant*Lexington, MA
Tues. May 287:00 PM - 9:00 PMHerb Society of America, Northeast Seacoast Unit,Strawberry Banke Museum§
(slide show)		Portsmouth, NH
Wed., May 296:00 PM - 8:00 PMStearns Organic FarmFramingham, MA
Thur., May 306:00 PM - 8:00 PMOpacum Land TrustBrookfield, MA
Sat. June 19:30 AM - 1:00 PM New England Wild Flower Society*§/
The Trustees of Reservations*		Marblehead, MA
Sun., June 21:00 PM - 4:30 PMMass. Audubon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary*§
The Trustees of Reservations*§		Newbury, MA
Thurs. June 66:00 PM - 8:00 PMHarvard Conservation Trust
Fruitlands Museums		Harvard, MA
Sun. June 9T.B.A.Glynwood*Cold Spring, NY
Tues. June 116:00 PM - 8:00 PMFriends of Fresh Pond*Cambridge, MA
Thur., June 13 6:00 PM - 8:00 PMMass. Audubon North River Wildlife Sanctuary*Marshfield, MA
Mon. June 176:00 PM - 8:00 PMEcological Landscaping AssociationBelmont, MA
Tues. Jun 185:30 PM - 7:30 PMWaltham Fields Community Farm*Waltham, MA
Thur. June 206:00 PM - 8:00 PMWyomanock CenterStephentown, NY
Fri., June 214:00 PM - 5:30 PMSudbury-Assabet-Concord RiverfestConcord, MA
Sun., June 239:00 AM - 1:00 PMWestport River Watershed Alliance*§Westport, MA
Tues. June 256:00 PM - 8:00 PMCambridge Center for Adult Education/*Cambridge, MA
Wed. June 266:00 PM - 8:00 PMRochester Land TrustRochester, MA
Thur., June 276:00 PM - 8:00 PMWright-Locke Community Farm*Winchester, MA
Wed., July 177:00 PM - 9:00 PMGreat Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
(slide show)		Greenland, NH
Thur. July 186:00 PM - 8:00 PMWachusett Greenways/Common Ground Land Trust/Greater Worcester Land TrustSpencer, MA
Wed., July 2410:00 AM -12:00 NoonHarold Parker State ForestAndover, MA
Sun., Oct. 6T.B.A.Weston Forest and Trail AssociationWeston, MA
T.B.A.6:00 PM - 8:00 PMBlue Heron Organic FarmLincoln, MA
T.B.A.T.B.A.Allandale Farm*Boston, MA

§ = includes a wild foods tasting, cooking demonstration and/or dinner;
# = class is already full
* = It is necessary to pre-register directly with the Sponsor for these events. Telephone numbers:

Mass. Audubon Ipswich River Sanctuary: (978) 887-9264; Mass. Audubon North River Wildlife Sanctuary: (781)837-9400; The Trustees of Reservations (Ramona Latham,(978) 281-8400 or capeann@ttor.org); Nourish Restaurant (Karen Masterton, (781) 674-2400); Waltham Fields Community Farm: (781) 899-2403; New England Wild Flower Society: (508) 877-7630 ext.3303; Cambridge Center for Adult Education (Course Code WPLA): (617) 547-6789; Herb Society of America: Ms. Rie Sluder, (603) 642-7034; Wright-Locke Community Farm (Rebekah Carter, (781) 729-8775); Allandale Farm (Helen Glotzer, (617) 524-1531); Friends of Fresh Pond: (Elizabeth Wylde, 617) 349-6489).

[Note: For those of you who haven't as yet attended one of these outdoor walks/courses, we usually encounter 25-40 different species of edible wild plants (and, in season, pending favorable weather conditions, mushrooms). Keys to the identification of each species are provided, as well as information about its edible portion(s), season(s)of availability, flavor and nutritive value, and some tips on preparation if necessary. Guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging are also provided. Participants often find a jackknife and several bags for collecting samples useful as well as a notebook and pen. Those who have already been on one or more of these walks often find a refresher course of great value. In addition, there is a constantly changing variety of edible wild plants throughout the year, even at the same location, so that different plants are typically encountered on each visit. If you are especially interested in mushrooms (edible and otherwise), you might also want to check out the Boston Mycological Club. ]

Last update: 5/10/13
Welcome Visitor #
to this updated Web page.

Information on Russ's foraging book: "Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten"
Foraging articles by or about Russ in Mass. Wildlife Magazine, Yankee Magazine, Edible Boston Magazine, etc.
Russ Cohen's Biography
Comprehensive (as of 1999) Edible Wild Plant etc. Bibliography, plus updated excerpt
Recipes, including "Faux Gumbo" and "100% Wild Salad" as prepared on the PBS Victory Garden TV program
List of Sponsoring Organizations of Russ' foraging programs