Join this 2.5-hour guided foraging tour of Morningside Park led by "Wildman" on Sunday, March 9, 2026, starting at 11 AM (Daylight Savings Time). Meet at the intersection of 120th Street and Morningside Avenue. This educational experience marks the fourth public tour of the season and introduces you to the first edible and medicinal plants that emerge during early spring in urban park ecosystems.
During the tour, you will discover and learn about cold-hardy greens, including field garlic, which features spicy onion-like bulbs and tender young leaves usable as a chive substitute. Chickweed, which grows in mats throughout sunny areas of the park, provides a corn-like flavor and exceptional nutritional density. Lemony sheep sorrel offers distinctive tartness and ranks among the most palatable wild greens. Additional plants may include hairy bittercress with its watercress-like spice, winter cress, shepherd's purse as a mild mustard green, and garlic mustard with its distinctive garlic and horseradish notes.
Dandelion greens will be abundant and particularly tender this time of year. Other common plants include bitter dock, which transforms dramatically when cooked into one of the park's most versatile wild vegetables, plus its relative curly dock or yellow dock. Ground ivy, also known as gill-over-the-ground, represents an attractive mint family member that tolerates cold temperatures and brews into a traditional medicinal tea beneficial for water retention management.
Sassafras, the historical source of original root beer flavoring, remains available year-round and frequently thrives in park thickets. Depending on conditions, the tour may also feature wood ear mushrooms, among the few cold-tolerant fungi, which appear in Chinese cuisine and can be roasted with herbs into crispy chips. As this represents the fourth tour of Morningside Park this season, you may encounter additional plant surprises and discover new edible species alongside returning favorites.
This educational tour combines hands-on identification, harvesting techniques, and culinary preparation methods for wild edibles, offering participants practical knowledge for sustainable foraging in urban environments.
School Notes:
If you can't attend the class you signed up for, please call or email "Wildman" Steve Brill a day before the start of the class. No-call/no-show creates an inconvenience to all participants since we can’t tell if absentees are having transportation issues, and this delays the start of the tour/class.
Kindly note that price posted is our suggested donation only.
Please call your guide Steve at (914) 400-9135 the night before to confirm your class/tour will still be happening at its intended time as various circumstances may affect the start time.
