Inwood Hill Park stands as one of the finest urban foraging destinations during the late fall season. With its terrain of rolling hills, expansive mature forest canopy, open meadows, dense thickets, and both wild and cultivated sections, the park offers an abundance of edible plants even as autumn turns to winter.
Root Vegetables and Underground Treasures:
Late fall is the ideal season to explore the underground bounty. Burdock, an invasive Eurasian plant now widely available in health food stores for its detoxifying properties, thrives throughout the park's disturbed areas. The roots should be scrubbed clean, then sliced diagonally into thin pieces and prepared with moist heat for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. This versatile root enhances soups, stews, rice dishes, and can be prepared as kinpira gobo, a traditional Japanese preparation. For a vegan alternative, the root can be marinated and baked to create a beef jerky substitute.
Sassafras root represents the historical foundation of root beer production and remains a reliable find. It serves dual purposes as a beverage base for tea or homemade root beer, or as an exotic seasoning reminiscent of cinnamon.
Black birch trees contain methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen), a compound that serves as the raw material for birch beer production. Chewing the twigs freshens breath, and they can be steeped into a nourishing tea or transformed into birch beer. The resulting strong tea contains natural compounds similar to aspirin, offering non-steroidal anti-inflammatory benefits useful for pain and inflammation relief; these same compounds are included in commercial massage liniments. This tea also provides excellent flavoring for puddings. Additionally, the oil of wintergreen makes black birch twigs an exceptional home remedy for teething discomfort.
Hog peanut tubers, from a legume species, offer a flavor profile comparable to raw peanuts. Near the park's summit, wild carrots with pale beige taproots grow in overgrown sections; these provide superior flavor compared to cultivated garden varieties.
Evening primrose roots present another foraging opportunity, with a peppery-sweet taste that suits soups, stews, grains, and bean dishes well. While health food stores sell prostaglandin-rich oils pressed from evening primrose seeds for managing PMS and related conditions, the fresh root offers a more direct and flavorful approach.
Leafy Greens and Herbs:
Cold-tolerant plants abound throughout the park, providing abundant leafy vegetables and herbs. Expect to find chickweed with its corn-like flavor; parsley-flavored goutweed; resinous epazote; dandelion greens with their bitter-savory character; pungent garlic mustard (which also features a delicious horseradish-flavored taproot); spicy field garlic with edible leaves and bulbs; curly dock with lemony notes; and wild lettuce, which reaches peak flavor during cold weather months.
Mushrooms:
While mushroom season has largely passed by late fall, certain cold-tolerant species persist in this environment. Following adequate rainfall and with favorable conditions, participants may encounter oyster mushrooms, tree ears, and enoki mushrooms.
Pepper sedum is an unusual ornamental herb that grows on bare rock at cliff edges. As a tropical plant lacking winter dormancy, it remains in season year-round and thrives in this location due to the intense heat that sun-baked rock provides during the summer months, which the plant requires for reproduction. The foliage tastes distinctly peppery and works excellently as a seasoning for savory dishes.
Meeting Location:
Anne Loftus Playground, Fort Tryon Park, 4746 Broadway at the corner of Dykeman Street and Broadway, Manhattan, New York. Note: This location is not within Inwood Hill Park itself.
Participant Guidelines:
- Dress appropriately for prevailing weather conditions; be prepared for potential subway service delays or cancellations due to track maintenance work.
- Avoid wearing sandals due to the presence of mosquitoes, thorns, and poison ivy in forested areas.
- Bring plastic bags for vegetables and herbs, paper bags specifically for mushrooms (plastic spoils them), and containers for collecting berries during late spring through fall seasons.
- Pack drinking water, lunch, extra clothing layers appropriate to cold weather, and a pen for sign-in purposes.
- Optional items include digging implements and pocket knives for harvesting roots.
- Dogs are welcome to accompany participants, and children are encouraged to join the tour.
- Smoking is strictly prohibited throughout the entire tour.
