This location represents one of the world's premier destinations for fall foraging, offering exceptional opportunities to harvest diverse wild herbs, leafy greens, roots, nuts, and mushrooms even as the season progresses into late autumn. The park's varied habitats encompass miles of mature forest alongside trail edges and disturbed areas, providing homes for numerous renewable plant species that can be sustainably harvested.
Before entering the park, you will encounter a row of ancient ginkgo trees across from the meeting location. These remarkable trees, descendants of species that thrived during the age of dinosaurs, produce delicious kernels enclosed in notoriously foul-smelling fruit. These kernels are prized in Chinese cuisine and offer an excellent cheese substitute for vegan dishes. Immediately adjacent to the ginkgoes grow Japanese yew bushes bearing sweet, jellylike fruit. Note that each berry contains a single poisonous seed, which should be discarded much like a cherry pit.
Within the park, you will find spicy hedge mustard greens and poor man's pepper growing on open lawns, alongside field garlic and common plantain. Behind one of the playgrounds near the starting point stands a substantial patch of burdock, which is harder to dig elsewhere but grows in loose, accessible soil here. Burdock works beautifully in soups, stews, rice dishes, and Japanese cuisine. Another prized root vegetable found deeper in the forest is sweet cicely, which offers a distinctive black licorice flavor and grows abundantly enough in Forest Park that you can harvest reasonable quantities without harming the ecosystem.
The forest excels as a location for late-season mushroom foraging. Expect to encounter giant puffballs, pear-shaped puffballs, oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, bricktops, and tree ears.
Meeting Location:
Meet at the stone wall located at Forest Park Drive and Park Lane (not Park Lane South), near the Park Department's Overlook Building at 8040 Park Lane in Kew Gardens. Do not go to the Woodhaven or Richmond Hill sides of the park.
What to Bring and How to Prepare:
- Dress appropriately for the weather and understand that public transportation service can be unreliable
- Train cancellations due to track work are common; plan accordingly and avoid sandals
- Wear closed-toe footwear to protect against mosquitoes, thorns, and poison ivy
- Bring plastic bags for vegetables and herbs; use paper bags for mushrooms to prevent spoilage
- Carry containers for berries if foraging from late spring through fall
- Pack sufficient water and lunch or snacks for the tour duration
- Bring extra layers of clothing for temperature changes
- Digging tools and pocket knives are optional but useful additions
- Well-behaved dogs are permitted and welcome
- Children are encouraged to attend and gain knowledge about natural ecosystems
- No smoking is permitted at any time
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.
