Forest Park Trail

This is one of the best places in the world for early spring foraging, with a wide selection of wild herbs, greens, roots, and even some cold-weather mushrooms. Habitats include miles of mature forest, as well as the trail edges, and the disturbed, overgrown, and cultivated habitats that provide homes for all sorts of diverse species. 

Burdock, a root vegetable prized in East Asia and served in Japanese restaurants, grows in view of the baseball diamond quite near the meeting spot, but savory hedge mustard and dandelion greens grow even closer, across the path from the Parks Dept. administration building, The Overlook.  

Another choice root vegetable is sweet cicely, which tastes like black licorice. This one's easy to unearth, and there's so much in Forest Park, you can't harm the habitat by collecting reasonable quantities.  

Herbs and greens we'll be looking for include honewort or wild chervil, which tastes like parsley, celery, and carrots; sassafras, the original source of root beer; black birch, which tastes like wintergreen, garlic mustard, with garlicky leaves and horseradish-flavored roots; and onion/garlic-flavored field garlic leaves and bulbs.  

The forest is one of the best for mushrooms. We'll be looking for early-season species such as oyster mushrooms and tree ears.

Notes:

• Participants should be dressed for the weather, and be aware of very bad subway service. Trains are often cancelled due to track work. 
• No sandals (there are mosquitoes, thorns and poison ivy). 
• Everyone should have plastic bags for veggies and herbs, paper bags for mushrooms, which spoil in plastic, containers for berries from late spring through fall, water and lunch, and extra layers when it's cold. 
• Digging implements and pocket knives are optional. 
• Dogs are permitted. 
• Children are encouraged to attend.
• There's no smoking whatsoever at any time.

The 4-hour walking tour begins at the stone wall at Union Turnpike and Park Lane, near the Parks Dept.'s Overlook building.