Edible Wild Plants of the Alewife Reservation
June 24, 2003
by Ellen Mass

Many unusual living forms can be seen in an urban wild on a warm June evening. At the MDC's Alewife Reservation, you will always find something good to eat, growing in the wild.

"Cattails," says master forager Russell Cohen. "They've been called the 'supermarket of the swamps' because they have five edible parts. We'll certainly see our share of cattails in the marshy Reservation." Arlington resident Cohen, a professional environmentalist and wild foods enthusiast, will lead a two-hour ramble through the Reservation, mostly in Cambridge on June 24. Russ is with the Riverways program of the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and well known in Massachusetts for his edible plant specialty. The walk is co-sponsored by the Friends of Alewife Reservation and the Mystic River Watershed Association.

The Greater Boston Area is home to over 150 species of edible wild plants, some of which are more nutritious or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. Cohen expects to find at least 18 species in the Alewife Reservation.

Cohen is enthusiastic about foraging to share with others."People often tell me they're just not sure if something is edible or not. You look at a picture, then at a plant. You're not sure if they are the same, so you pass over the identification. I try to give people the tools they need to be more confident." This includes how to identify each species and its edible parts, when to look for them, and how to prepare them for delectable cuisine. Guidelines will be presented on the walk for safe and environmentally responsible foraging.

"You don't need a degree in botany to learn about edible wild plants, but you will need a pen and paper for note-taking, and shoes you don't mind getting wet or muddy", says Cohen. Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts.

Around 50 people attended the 3 hour walk on June 24 and went throughout the Reservation learning summer time recipes for June berries, elderberries, cattails, Japanese knotweed, sumac, wild lettuce, carrot family, lotus tree blossoms, black berries, raspberries, St. John's wort, burdock and many others.

Russ' Recipe for Rustic Ruggelach

Dough Ingredients:
1/2 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups pastry flour
Mix together and sprinkle with water if necessary (makes a dry dough). Refrigerate.

Filling Ingredients:
1 cup wild jam (blackberry, mulberry, rose hip, etc.)
1 cup finely chopped wild nuts (hickory, black walnut, butternut, hazelnut, etc.)
or
1 cup chopped dried wild fruit (juneberries, apples, blueberries, etc.)
1 tsp. cinnamon
Add water as needed to make filling easy to spread.

Assembling the Ruggelach:
Divide dough in two parts - Roll each part into a circle and cut into 16 "pie-slice"-shaped wedges. Spread with filling and roll each wedge from the outside toward the center. Place on greased cookie sheet, and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Makes 32 small pastries (8-10 servings).

NOTE: This is a relatively "healthy" (i.e., not very sweet) dough recipe. Adding some sweet fruit juice instead of water in this recipe, or using a fruit-flavored cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese, might help to liven things up a bit. (3/28/01)

Russ' website for more recipes and for more walks with Russ: http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm