Staghorn Sumac has been used used to treat colds since ancient times. Learn how to make Sumac Lemonade with nature photographer Buddy Dempsey!
Edible Mountain – How To Make Sumac Lemonade
Used as a spice throughout the Middle East, Sumac berries makes a pleasent, lemon-flavored tea that’s rich in Tannic Acid. Be sure to filter the tea to remove the tiny hairs, which can irritate the throat.
Warning – Staghorn sumac is a member of the cashew family, so be careful if you have nut allergies. Also, do not pick white Sumac berries; these belong to Poison Sumac.
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.
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.
Falconry is the oldest form of hunting still in use. Learn how it is being practiced today in West Virginia from Master Falconer Mick Brown!
Harris’s Hawks, like Purdy who is featured in the video, look amazing, but don’t be fooled. These raptors are not pets, and hunting with them is strictly regulated. It takes daily dedication and several years of training to hunt with these amazing creatures.
Edible Mountain is a bite-sized, digital series that showcases some of Appalachia’s overlooked and underappreciated products of the forest while highlighting their (mostly forgotten) uses. Many episodes follow an expert in the field (from botanists to conservationists) who provides the viewer with insight on how to sustainably forage these delicacies. Many of the episodes explore the preparation of these amazing delectables, something that many could achieve in the home kitchen.
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.
Native Appalachian plants are a largely untapped and understudied natural resource. The mayapple is a prime example. Wild-crafted for generations, studies now reveal the plant has life-saving properties.
Dr. Eric Burkhart, a field botany expert, explains the uses of mayapple, and how it could be a special crop that offers economic befits throughout the Appalachian region.
EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Mayapple, the most harvested plant in Appalachia
Edible Mountain is a bite-sized, digital series that showcases some of Appalachia’s overlooked and underappreciated products of the forest while highlighting their (mostly forgotten) uses. Many episodes follow an expert in the field (from botanists to conservationists), whom provides the viewer with insight on how to sustainably forage these delicacies. Many of the episodes explore the preparation of these amazing delectables, something that many could achieve in the home kitchen.
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.
Ramps are an Appalachian delicacy, but their recent popularity has raised concerns about over-harvesting. Learn how to sustainably harvest ramps from local experts in the first episode of Edible Mountain!
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.
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.
Those who’ve eaten a pawpaw before often say that the creamy, tropical fruit resembles a mix of a mango and a banana, or a mango and an avocado. They often can’t believe that the fruit is native to Appalachia.
“It’s creamy, but you get that tropical fruit taste,” said Katie Wight, a resident of Athens, Ohio, upon eating her first paw-paw. “It’s not really mango, but mango-papaya – that kind of genre.”
To the rest of the country, the pawpaw is little-known. It’s not commercially grown, in part because it’s so tricky to eat – it’s not ripe until it looks rotten on the outside, and ingesting the seeds or the skin causes some to fall ill. But the Appalachian fruit is showing potential.
Credit Anne Li/ WVPB
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Katie Wight holding first pawpaw at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival
In Charleston, a locally-owned ice cream shop called Ellens Homemade Ice Cream increased its supply of pawpaw ice cream this fall due to increased demand. And every year, thousands flock to Athens, Ohio, to celebrate the Pawpaw Festival, where they can learn about the pawpaw and buy pawpaw art, saplings and raw pawpaws.
“At my place, a Belgian gentleman comes and buys all my seeds,” said one attendee who traveled from his home in the Netherlands for the eighteenth annual Pawpaw Festival this year. He spoke of the growing market for pawpaws in Europe. “Before that I threw them away but he pays me 15 cents a piece. I ask him (why) and he says he (uses it) for curing cancer.”
Credit courtesy Katie Wight
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pawpaw teapot by artist, on display at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival
According to Andy Moore, a writer who recently published a book called Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit, pawpaws have been consumed in the United States for generations. Towns are named after the fruit, and folk songs, like “Way Down Yonder in the Pawpaw Patch,” have been written about them.
Writer Andy Moore in Phyllis, Kentucky at the Lucky Penny General Store. Credit courtesy Andy Moore
In the last few years, pawpaws have started to be cultivated on a very small scale. “People are growing them in orchards now, just like you would any other crop, which will hopefully give people more opportunity to taste it and experience it,” Moore said.
Credit courtesy Katie Wight
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A man dressed as a tree was available to take photos with children at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival
Some pawpaw fans hope that pawpaws can be included in the forest farming or agroforestry movement, which means growing and harvesting crops like ramps or pawpaws in the forest that many West Virginians landowners own. Walt Helmick, the West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture, says that they haven’t looked into pawpaws as a commercial fruit yet, even though they are unique to the Appalachian region.
“We need to see what we can do with agriculture in the forest more than we have in years gone by,” Helmick said.
