Bill Beatty Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Edible Mountain – How To Safely Eat Pokeweed Shoots

Pokeweed has been eaten in Appalachia for generations. Many West Virginians have fond memories of their grandmother heaping piles on their plate of this delicious cooked green, which is often compared to asparagus in taste.

But it’s poisonous and deadly when eaten raw. Learn the safe way to collect and prepare pokeweed shoots from naturalist Bill Beaty.

Poke comes from the Algonqin word meaning “blood,” referring to the purplish stem and berries of the plant. The berries also are extremely poisonous and should never be eaten.

Please collect pokeweed shoots with caution. If you’re unsure of what you’re doing, find an expert to collect and cook pokeweed shoots with you.

Edible Mountain is a bite-sized, digital series from WVPB that showcases some of Appalachia’s overlooked and underappreciated products of the forest while highlighting their mostly forgotten uses.

Disclaimer: Folks, we hope that you take caution when entering the forest. Please always be aware of your surroundings, while treading lightly, so as to not disturb the natural joy and wonder that our wilderness provides.

Although most of the flora or fauna described in Edible Mountain has been identified by experts in the field, it is critical to your health and safety that you properly identify any item in the forest before eating or touching it. If you are uncertain about anything, please leave it alone and ask for an expert’s advice. Many dangerous plants and fungi share similar properties, which make them easily confused with their nonlethal relatives.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) wants you to discover, protect and enjoy your natural surroundings. We do not want to see you harmed. Please harvest sustainably so that the bounty can be enjoyed by future generations.

The information contained within Edible Mountain is for general information purposes only. WVPB assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents on this service. WVPB make no guarantees as to the accuracy of the information presented, and any action you take upon the information in this program is strictly at your own risk.

In no event shall WVPB or contributors be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the service or the contents of the service. WVPB reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modification to the contents on the service at any time without prior notice.

Edible Mountain – How To Make Sassafras Tea

Sassafras root makes an excellent tea. Learn the right way to do it from naturalist Bill Beatty!

Edible Mountain is a bite-sized, digital series from WVPB that showcases some of Appalachia’s overlooked and underappreciated products of the forest, while highlighting their mostly forgotten uses.

The series features experts, from botanists to conservationists, who provide insight on how to sustainably forage these delicacies. It also explores the preparation of these amazing delectables, something that many could achieve in the home kitchen.

You can find more information about Bill Beatty and his adventures in the wilds as well as a wonderful cook book for foragers at https://wvbirder.wordpress.com

Disclaimer: Folks. We hope that you take caution when entering the forest. Please, always be aware of your surroundings, while treading lightly, so as to not disturb the natural joy and wonder that our wilderness provides.

While most of the flora or fauna described in Edible Mountain has been identified by experts in the field, it is critical to your health and safety that you properly ID any item in the forest before eating it, let alone touching it. If you are uncertain about anything, then please leave it alone and ask for an expert’s advice. Many dangerous plants and fungi share similar properties which make them easily confused with their non-lethal relatives.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) wants you to discover, protect, and enjoy your natural surroundings. We do not want to see you harmed. Please harvest sustainably so that the bounty can be enjoyed by future generations.

The information contained within Edible Mountain is for general information purposes only. WVPB assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents on this Service. WVPB make no guarantees as to the accuracy of the information presented, and any action you take upon the information in this program is strictly at your own risk.

In no event shall WVPB or contributors be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. WVPB reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modification to the contents on the Service at any time without prior notice.

Have fun and explore.

Birders Needed: W.Va. Christmas Bird Count

The National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count is, for many people, a holiday tradition. Every year, for a 24 hour period between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, citizen scientists look to the skies, trees and bird feeders to identify and count as many birds as possible. This year marks the 119th season. West Virginians have been participating for about 80 years.

A Different Tradition

“In West Virginia, we have 20 Christmas bird count circles throughout the state,” Larry Helgerman said. He is the National Audubon Society’s West Virginia state Christmas Bird Count editor. The count began, he explained, in response to another holiday tradition.

“Back in 1899, people would go out at the new year and shoot as many birds and animals as they could. It was a sport,” Helgerman said.

An ornithologist at the time named Frank Chapman thought of a different tradition.

“He came up with the idea of instead of shooting the birds, why don’t we count the birds and make it a conservation thing.”

Christmas Day, 1900, 27 people across the U.S. and Canada counted about 18,000 birds and 90 species. Last year, 77,000 people across more than 2,500 locations participated. According to the Audubon Society, it’s the oldest running citizen scientist survey in the world.

The survey’s West Virginia manager, Larry Helgerman, says he’s looking for more participants — especially in southern regions of the state. The counts are ongoing through the first week of January.

Birding

“It’s a good way to go with somebody who knows more about what’s there,” Jan Runyan said. An educator and regular Christmas bird counter who lives Brooke County, she said the count presents valuable learning opportunities for people just getting into birds.

“It’s not overwhelming, like the spring with all the songs. It’s an entry-level thing that you can do to become a better birder.”

Runyan explained that most experienced birders are really good at identifying the various calls and songs of bird species.

“They do most of their birding, more than 50 percent — some even say 90 percent — by ear. So when you really want to know what’s out there, you need to know what you’re listening to.”

Runyan said it often seems like an impossible task to differentiate between bird calls for newbies. But just as you can close your eyes at a family gathering and know the difference between family members’ voices, she said, you can learn to know the birds.

“You just have to be out there and experience with them,” she said.

Citizen Science

Beatty and Runyan love to be outside, especially during winter months. The walk around their house was very quiet and peaceful. But Beatty said it isn’t always this way.

“This same spot later in the spring is so loud with bird songs because the birds sing songs to defend their territory. That’s what they do the whole time during nesting season,” he said.

Beatty explained that there are different bird surveys throughout the year. In the spring, surveys usually identify varieties of species; but during the Christmas bird counts, people identify species and count as many birds as are seen.

“With a Christmas bird count, we’re trying to determine population,” he explained.

During the Wheeling Christmas count, Runyan pointed out, every year someone focuses solely on American crows, counting a population of 50,000 birds that roost along the Ohio River. The murder of crows has been meeting in the Ohio Valley for years.

Beatty said a lot has changed since he started observing, more than 40 years ago.

“It’s not at all the same today,” he recalled. “I remember going in the woods early on, and we’d have what we call a ‘fall out,’ which means that there would be these birds called warblers migrating, and when they’re hungry, they just fall into a forest. And when you’re in a fallout, they’re just absolutely everywhere.”

“We don’t see it like we used to at all,” he continued, “There’ll be a fallout, but they are much fewer birds.”

Beatty explains the bird population trends gathered during Christmas count are good environmental indicators to warn humans about various dangers. The data is used in many ways. On the Audobon website there are even mapping tools that show how and where populations of various species have changed in the past decade.