Hunt for Wild Wineberries at Ryder Farm

with naturalist/author "Wildman" Steve Brill


At 10 AM, Tuesday, July 21, naturalist/author "Wildman" Steve Brill will give a talk and lead one of his world-famous foraging tours of Ryder Farm, in Brewster, NY. The grounds of this long-standing organic farm are loaded with wild foods, and on this tour of this beautiful locale, we could be finding anything.

Fruit and berries are spectacular at this time of year. Wineberries will be at their peak. These Asian raspberries, which are easy to collect in quantity, are much more flavorful than their wimpy commercial counterparts. These juicy, sweet-and-sour berries are in season from mid-July to mid-August, and they grow in abundance in thickets throughout the northeast.

Blackberries are just coming into season. One of the most flavorful is the dewberry, an early-season species that trails the ground. We may also find the first ripe elderberries of the summer. They're not sweet, and they must be cooked, but they're great, sweetened, in pancakes, muffins, and breads.

Black cherries will also be in season. These native bittersweet fruits, with the flavors of cherry and grapefruit, are great raw, and superb cooked with a thickener and sweetener in all the standard puréed fruit desserts.

Plenty of herbs and greens are in season all summer. On this tour, we'll be looking for lamb's-quarters, purslane, wood sorrel, sheep sorrel, poor man's pepper, burdock, sassafras, jewelweed, and Asiatic dayflower, among others.

With lots of rain and a bit of luck, we could find gourmet mushroom species such as chicken mushrooms, chanterelles, boletes, and russulas.

The 30-minute talk followed by a 60-minute walking tour begins at 10 AM, Tuesday, July 21, at Ryder Farm, 400 Starr Ridge Rd., in Brewster, NY. The suggested donation is $15/adult, $10/child under 12. Please call (914) 835-2153 at least 24 hours in advance to reserve a place.

For "Wildman's" 2009 tour calendar and additional info, visit http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com

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Contact: "Wildman" Steve Brill, (914) 835-2153 wildman@wildmanstevebrill.com, http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com