Nobody plants pineapple weed. I’ve never seen seeds for sale. But it’s a welcome sight and smell wherever it crops up, and it crops up everywhere. It grows from north of the Arctic Circle, all the way down to southern California, and across almost the entire country. Pineapple weed grows in lawns, gravel driveways, and neglected spaces. It’s not bad…
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Does this plant look familiar? Lamb’s quarters (aka wild spinach) crops up almost everywhere, in vegetable gardens, playgrounds, sidewalks, and city parks. It’s a highly adaptable plant, growing well in a wide range of environments from the high humidity of NE PA to the high desert of Santa Fe, NM. No matter where it grows, as long as it hasn’t…
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I love fruit puddings. They’re easy and quick to make. They don’t heat up the kitchen on a hot summer day. They don’t require a pie crust. And most importantly, fruit puddings deliver pure, concentrated fruit flavor. Serviceberry Pudding is a perfect early summer dessert. Feel free to use your thickener of choice; I’m fond of tapioca. Minute tapioca (aka instant or…
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I am a forager. As I whiz down the highway (I’m not telling how fast) I want to stop every time I see the flat, white umbels of elderflowers or the rich, red cones of sumac berries. The saturated yellow of cattail pollen makes me swerve to the shoulder and pull out my waterproof boots. God forbid I should spot…
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The first time I found morels (Morchella species) I’d been standing on top of them for at least five minutes before I saw them. It’s not just that they grow under leaf litter, they’re also well camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings. Morel hunters move slowly when they find a patch of mushrooms. One false move and you might…
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A podcast about plants with Ellen Zachos and C.L. Fornari