Feature Story
Foraging Nature ’ s Edibles for Mental and Physical Health Benefits
Editorial and Photos by Clayton Stallings
When I first met Bo Brown , he offered me a snack while handing me a mason jar filled with fermented silver maple seeds called samaras . Many people grew up calling them nicknames like helicopters , whirlybirds , or whipper wheels , but we ’ ve all seen and played with the winged seeds that fall from Elms , Maples , and Ash Trees . He had just foraged them a few days earlier before putting them in his own special salt brine / chili powder mixture . As I shoved a handful in my mouth , my mind was blown . Not only are these whirlybird seeds edible , but they didn ’ t taste half-bad .
Brown says , “ When you purchase probiotic supplements from the store , the recommended dose would contain about 10 billion CFU ( colony-forming units ) of bacteria . Four to six ounces of the fermented silver maple seeds [ whirlybirds ] you just ate would contain about 10 trillion CFU .” He continued to drop numerous knowledge bombs on my brain . At this point , I immediately wanted to adopt Brown as some sort of family member . I imagined what it would be like to grow up with him , sharing this lost knowledge of our ancestors –– every day in my life . Little did I know , I was about to get an entire day of that opportunity .
Brown had just finished teaching a workshop on foraging at a two-day Homesteading event hosted by Colonial Gardens in Blue Springs , MO . Then we ventured to his car to find more of his books , which I purchased and he autographed for me . Brown is the author of Foraging the Grasslands and Foraging the Ozarks . Both books are published by Falcon Guides , which boasts 50 % of the market share of all outdoor guidebooks published .
Bo Brown and Mike Snyder host a day of educational foraging in South-East Missouri on the hunt for edible plant food sources .
The weekend before the Monday , April 8th solar eclipse , Brown led a day of educational foraging in SE Missouri with Mike Snyder , a mushroom foraging specialist . They sold out Saturday and Sunday but , luckily , had just added an extra day on Friday . I immediately bought four tickets and invited my buddy Jeff Kemery and my two favorite cannabis nurses , Alice Mangan and April Hatch , to join me . Knowing the solar eclipse totality was near that area of Missouri , we also planned a follow-up camping trip to eclipse-watch in nearby Alton , MO .
Bo Brown , with a jar of edible fermented silver maple seeds in his special brine and chili powder mixture .
The Friday before the eclipse , we arrived early at Snyder ’ s homestead property in SE Missouri , and right behind us was Bo Brown rolling up in his camper truck . He shared the history of the homestead . Over 12 years ago , Snyder and his family moved to the
32 May 2024