Allyn Cox Reservation
82 Eastern Ave.
Essex, MA
Local author and edible plants expert Russ Cohen will lead us through the edible coastal landscape at Allyn Cox Reservation in Essex, MA. You will learn to identify various common edible plants such as staghorn sumac, shagbark hickory, black walnut, sassafras, pineapple weed, purslane, and perhaps some other coastal delicacies! Russ will discuss sustainable harvesting practices, identify which wild foods are invasive versus native, and will talk about the long history of farming and gathering practices in the area. We hope a few other plants will be in fruit on the property, such as mulberry and wild strawberry, but we cannot guarantee any particular plants. While the cherries, beach plums, and blackberries will not be fruiting yet, we may take a look at the plants to help you identify them later in the season.
The trail at Allyn Cox Reservation is only about a mile long, but we will walk for approximately two hours, stopping frequently to examine the flora, listen to Russ, and ask questions. You are more than welcome to bring lightweight folding stool/chair if standing for long periods is difficult. Long sleeves and pants are recommended to keep away the evening insects.
We also encourage you to bring a notebook and your phone to take photos of the various plants.
Russ's book Wild Plants I Have Known… And Eaten will be available for purchase at the event.
Biography:
Until his retirement in June of 2015, Russ Cohen served for over two decades as the Rivers Advocate for Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game's Division of Ecological Restoration. He now has more time to devote to his passionate avocation: connecting to nature via nibbling on it, and assisting others in doing the same. Russ is into his fifth decade of leading wild edibles walks and talks at a wide variety of venues in eastern Massachusetts and Elsewhere. In addition, since his retirement, Russ is acting as a “Johnny Appleseed” of sorts for native edible species. He has set up a nursery containing hundreds of edible plants native to this region, many of which he propagated from seed he collected himself. You can read more about Russ and his work at eatwild-ne.org.