Foraging around in Falls Village

Foraging around in Falls Village

Andy Dobos led a group on a successful search for edible wild plants at Great Mountain Forest.

Patrick L. Sullivan

Andy Dobos of Forest Wolf Programs led a group around the perimeter of Great Mountain Forest’s chestnut orchard on Undermountain Road in Falls Village on a chilly Saturday morning, April 13, in search of edible plants.

He started with Queen Anne’s Lace, also known as wild carrot.

This was a good plant to start with because it’s common and relatively easy to identify, he said.

“Relatively” easy.

Dobos said when he was first learning about plant identification it took him a year to learn how to identify Queen Anne’s Lace in all four seasons.

“It took another year to be confident about it.”

Throughout the presentation, Dobos stressed caution in ingesting wild plants.

He said most plants that are toxic to humans will be easy to identify by the taste.

“Most toxic plants taste really bad,” he said cheerfully. “You’re going to know.”

Except for mushrooms, where toxic varieties are harder to differentiate from edible varieties by taste.

The rule of thumb: “Know what it is before you swallow.”

Walking with the group of about a dozen people, Dobos spotted and delivered impromptu lectures on mustard garlic and trout lily, passing samples around and encouraging the participants to examine them closely without actually eating them.

He had some advice for the group on sources of information about plants.

He said he uses Peterson Field Guides, saying they are good for identifying plants, but the information on edibility is sparse.

He also recommended Samuel Thayer’s “Forager’s Harvest” and “Nature’s Garden.”

Latest News

Leading four churches with faith and community

MILLERTON — In the short time that Rev. Dr. Anna Crews Camphouse has called Sharon, Connecticut, “home,” she has taken on an abundance of leadership roles in the area in hopes to grow and connect the community and people of faith.

Camphouse has been in pastoral ministry for almost 25 years. “Up until here, I’ve done a lot of things,” she said. Now, she leads four Methodist churches in the area.

Keep ReadingShow less
News Analysis: Central Hudson rates projected to increase
Photo by Nathan Miller

Central Hudson has filed with the New York State Public Service Commission for a three-year rate increase to deliver electricity and in May 2025 the PSC Staff and Central Hudson reached an agreement which has been passed along to the commissioners for their approval as the final step in the “rate case.”

The complex pages-long proposal does not involve the actual cost of producing electricity, but the expense of the infrastructure to deliver it including maintaining the electricity grid, reading electric meters, billing customers, etc.

Keep ReadingShow less
Faculty Spanish lessons set to return next year

Webutuck’s Spanish for Educators program provided teachers at the district with weekly Spanish lessons intended to improve communication between teachers and students.

Photo Provided

AMENIA — The Webutuck Central School District will continue to offer the Spanish for Educators program, which instructs teachers on basic principles of the Spanish language, during the 2025–2026 school year, citing the program’s success during the last term.

Webutuck offered the optional class of ten weekly sessions to faculty members beginning in February as part of an effort to address communication issues between faculty and the high percentage of students with a limited command of the English language.

Keep ReadingShow less