Hunt For American Chestnuts At Sticks And Stones Farm

On Sunday, September 2, naturalist/author “Wildman” Steve Brill will lead one of his wild food and ecology tours at Newtown’s Sticks and Stones Farm, 201 Huntingtown Road. This 60-acre stone masonry farm and retreat features a wide variety of habitats — a mountain, meadows, woods, cultivated areas, and fields, and wetlands — all loaded with their associated wild plants and mushrooms.

Nuts are in season now, and the tour will be collecting from flavorful shagbark hickory nuts and white oak acorns, both unavailable commercially. But the most spectacular of all are the American chestnuts, wiped out throughout the East nearly 100 years ago by a devastating Asian blight, yet alive and well here. And it took “Wildman” only 28 years to find them locally!

Autumn fruits will also be in season. The tour will be looking for flavorful wild apples, hawthorn berries (somewhat similar to apples), and common spicebush berries, an allspice-like seasoning.

Herbs, greens, and roots such as sassafras, lamb’s-quarters, burdock, common evening primrose, field garlic, sheep sorrel, mullein, and wild carrots may also be in evidence.

This is a good time for mushrooms, especially if there has been lots of rain beforehand. The tour will look for ringless honey mushrooms, chicken mushrooms, hen-of-the-woods, puffballs, meadow mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms.

The 30-minute talk and 90-minute tour begin at 2:30 pm. The fee is $25/adult, $10/child under 12. Please call 203-270-8820 at least 24 hours in advance to sign up.