Alley Pond Park is one of New York City's most expansive and biologically diverse wetland parks, and even as winter approaches, its foraging potential remains substantial. The tour moves through multiple distinct habitats, giving participants the opportunity to discover and identify a wide range of edible and medicinal plants in a single outing.
The tour begins in a young woodland containing field garlic in abundance, with leaves that taste like chives and bulbs reminiscent of onion or garlic, as well as garlic mustard, whose bold greens and horseradish-flavored taproot make it a prized find. Sassafras grows close by, offering a versatile root suited to tea, seasoning, or root beer preparations.
Continuing around Oakland Lake, the group encounters sour curly yellow dock, bitter dandelion greens, corn-flavored chickweed, and the wintergreen-scented black birch tree. A small nearby stream hosts escaped watercress and wild winter cress, both lively members of the mustard family, along with possible sightings of hairy bittercress and poor man's pepper.
Following lunch, the group ventures into the marsh itself, where burdock root extracts with surprising ease from the soft, composted wetland soil. Sweet wild parsnips, outstanding in soups and braises, grow nearby in the underbrush. Farther along, the group finds additional wild carrots, more parsnips, and exceptionally large common evening primrose roots with their peppery-sweet character.
Given sufficient rain beforehand, gourmet mushrooms, including oyster mushrooms, fried chicken mushrooms, brick tops, and enoki, may emerge from trees, stumps, and wood chips throughout the park.
The 4-hour foraging tour of Alley Pond Park begins at 11:45 AM at the southeast corner of Springfield and Northern Boulevards in Douglaston, Queens.
Notes:
- Participants should dress for the weather and be aware that subway service in this area is frequently disrupted due to track work.
- Sandals are not appropriate due to mosquitoes, thorns, and poison ivy. Bring plastic bags for vegetables and herbs, paper bags for mushrooms, containers for berries from late spring through fall, water, lunch, and extra layers in cold weather.
- Digging implements and pocket knives are optional.
- Dogs are welcome. Children are warmly encouraged to attend.
- Smoking is not permitted at any time during the tour.
