As the mushroom foraging season starts to wind down towards the end of September, one fungus rises to the occasion. The Lion’s Mane, Bear’s Tooth, or Pom-Pom all refer to a handful of choice edible fungi in the New England forests. This mushroom is unmistakable with its fleshy white tentacles, and often appears attached to the trunk of a tree overhead.
Not only is this fungus a choice edible, it also is one of the most interesting and effective medicinal fungi in existence. With a plethora of positive research results, and many more in the works, Lion’s Mane is an exciting mushroom to find!
As much as the new forager reads about how to Identify any wild edible, there will never be enough words to replace the real experience. This is why a foraging tour is leaps and bounds more beneficial than simply reading about the desired foraged foods. Since I am not currently running foraging tours, I thought a video might be the next best thing. Hope this impromptu video I took today will help you on your quest to successfully identifying chanterelle mushrooms in Vermont.
Identifying Chanterelles in Vermont by Comparing to a Common Look A Like
Saint John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is one of my favorite foraged plants to make a tea out of. It is easily identifiable, and easy to make a tea out of the fresh flowers and leaves. St. John’s wort has been used medicinally for ages, and is often bought over the counter at health stores in pill form. It is used to treat depression, and symptoms that arise from depression such as anxiety and insomnia. However, take note that if you are taking other medications you should read up on the interactions, as it is known to have negative interactions with some prescription meds.
How to Identify St. Johns Wort
Identifying saint johns wort is pretty easy. Here are some tips and trips to identify this medicinal plant in Stowe Vermont.
First, you should be aware when Saint Johns Wort flowers, since that is what you are mostly after. In the northern Green Mountains of Vermont, the plant begins to flower in late June or early July, and will continue to flower throughout the month of July.
The flower itself is bright yellow with 5 petals
Yellow flowers of St John’s Wort
Perforated leaves. The Latin name of St Johns Wort is derived from the perforated leaves. When held up to a light source, you will always see a bunch of translucent dots on every leaf. This a very good way to identify st johns wort.
notice all the little dots in the leaves?
Another good way to identify saint johns wort is by taking the flowers or flowers that have started to turn to seed and smooshing them in your hand. Although they are yellow, they will magically turn purple in your hand. This effect is also evident in the tea, which comes out purple as well.
How to Make Tea out of Saint Johns Wort
Making tea out of Saint John’s Wort is easy and rewarding. Follow the directions below for a delicious and medicinal tea.
The first step is to harvest some of the flowers and leaves of the plant. Just cut the stem on a couple of flowering branches and you are good to go.
Next, you should wash the plant under cool water, and chop of any roots, or parts that are mostly just stem
Step one is to cut off any stem after washing under cool water
Next fill a pot with some water. The amount of water used will determine the strength of taste and potency of tea. In this recipe I used a quart and a half of water for the above pictured amount of foraged plant.
Gently bring the pot of water to a boil. As soon as boil is reached, take off heat and let slowly cool/steep till desired temperature is reached.
Just toss it all in the pot!steaming up
There you have it, delicious and medicinal Saint John’s Wort!
