Foraging at Greystone Nature Preserve
It's a delight to partner with Greystone Nature Preserve in Fredonia each year to offer classes on foraging and herbal medicine. Located on Chautauqua County's Niagara Escarpment, Greystone is nestled in rolling hills and enjoys a stunning view of Lake Erie. I've enjoyed many sunsets at Bill Moran and Diane Clark's picnic table, noshing veggies and preserves from their garden. Diane and Bill are passionate about connecting fellow humans to the natural world, and they welcome folks of all ages and styles to participate in nature-based programming. (Check out Greystone's website and Facebook page for more info about public events.)
Like many natural spaces, Greystone's seventy-five acres are home to native, non-native, and invasive plants. In this article, we'll explore the potential for partnership between Greystone and local foragers.
Diane and Bill, posing with ferns and fall wildflowers. (photo courtesy of Bill and Diane)
History and Management
Bill and Diane are the founders of Greystone, and they purchased the land on Bear Lake Road in 1999. The land was purchased from the Farnhams, a prominent farming family in Chautauqua County. Bill says they walked down from Vermont, toting their mother and belongings in an ox cart.
The meadows at Greystone were vineyards around the 1960s. The vines were then removed and the land was transitioned to free-range beef and dairy. Today, the meadows grow alfalfa and a host of wildflowers. "We control the meadows carefully," says Diane. "We mow only once a season, and we time the cutting to cause the least harm to wildlife, like monarch butterflies."
Diane and Bill were married next to a gray stone on the property that's encircled by wildflowers, near what is now a lush veggie garden and sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus) patch. Since purchasing the property, they have not applied pesticides, herbicides, or conventional fertilizer on the grounds. Invasive species are pulled manually with the help of interns and volunteers, and their garden is grown organically. Their weed management methods include placing large tarps on a slope to suppress and kill a pesky invasive grass.
Self heal (Prunella vulgaris), an edible and medicinal plant commonly found in lawns.
Foraging at Greystone
Bill and Diane have worked to remove edible and medicinal invasive species from their property, including Japanese honeysuckle, multiflora rose, garlic mustard, and domestic grapes. "The name 'domestic' is misleading," notes Diane. "They are called 'domestic' not because they are native, but because they are eaten at home. They're table grapes."
Because manual removal is the name of the game at Greystone, there is potential for small groups of foragers to arrive at prime harvest time, pick their fill of garlic mustard leaves, rosehips, honeysuckle blossoms, or grape bunches, and then help remove the plants they harvested from. If the plants are going to get pulled, they might as well get eaten!
Diane and Bill are also comfortable with the respectful harvest of other non-native plants on the property, including the aerial parts of dandelion, self-heal, plantain, mugwort, raspberry leaf, ground ivy, red clover, and conifer tips in moderation.
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If you'd like to coordinate a foraging event in WNY, I'd be happy to help promote it!
