Nature Wonder Weekend at North Bend State Park, outside of Harrisville and Cairo, WV, is the longest running edible wild foods event in the United States! Jan and I enjoyed our weekend with like-minded wild food enthusiasts.
On Friday evening we were welcomed by Wendy Greene, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs, and Kelsey Gilbert, Superintendent of North Bend State Park.
Then I presented my program called “It’s Greek to Me!”. On Saturday morning I led a walk teaching about edible, medicinal, and poisonous plants.
Jan accompanied me on the walk, but left early to attend a class on campfire cooking led by Ken Zebo.
Later that morning Adam Haritan and I participated in a table talk about some of the plants and fungi that had been collected on the trail walks Adam and I had led earlier.
Throughout the weekend Jan and I got to know Adam. He knows a great deal about foraging, ecology, and plant–fungi–animal relationships among other things. But Adam is so much more than just the topics he teaches. We got to know him as a friend. For more about Adam, visit his “Learn Your Land” website: https://learnyourland.com/ .
Supper on Saturday was all edible wild foods, and they were all delicious. The following photos show only a part of what we we had to eat.
Deaonna Crowe and I were the judges for the Wild Foods Contest. The entries were judged on appearance, taste, and how many of the ingredients were from the wild. All the entries were beautiful and delicious. The winners came down to the ingredients.
I have attended this event many times in the past and my favorite food at the supper has always been the homemade ice creams — all with wild plant flavors. This year’s flavors were pawpaw and honey, pawpaw and agave, persimmon, and peach. Without a doubt, I ate more ice cream than anyone else there.
On Saturday evening Adam presented the program, “In Praise of Wild Food Mentors”.
On Sunday morning Adam led a walk and talked about the wild foods and other plants near the North Bend Lodge.
I don’t know all the people who work behind the scenes for this event. However, there is a core group who prepare throughout the year to make this event very special for everyone who attends. It was an amazing and delicious weekend!
Bill Beatty Nature 