Belmont Lake State Park (Kids 12 & Under)

With a lakeside, cultivated areas, picnic grounds, and woods, Belmont Lake State Park is a great place for wild foods in late winter, and everything the group will be finding is renewable. The plants repeatedly get trimmed down by lawn mowers, but they’re adapted to defend themselves by regeneration. Many of the foreign plants here are also invasive. 

Wild greens will be thriving in sunny areas and along trail edges. We'll be looking for chickweed, which tastes like corn on the cob, lemony sheep sorrel, garlicky garlic mustard, spicy hairy bittercress, and pungent field garlic. The sour leaves of curly dock will be up, and it’s relative, bitter dock, will have leaves large enough to roll up with a stuffing like that of stuffed cabbage, or even filled with fruit and nuts.

Sheep Sorrel

This lemony-flavored plant is not b..a..a..a..a..d!

There will also be lots of daylily shoots, which taste like a combination of string beans and onions. In addition, we'll hunt for culinary and medicinal herbs such as black birch, sassafras, long-leaf plantain, and common spicebush twigs. 

Roots are in season now, and we’ll look for wild carrots in the sandy strips separating sections of the parking lot. Way more flavorful than the store-bought subspecies, they also maintain their texture better in carrot soups, cookies and cakes.

Wild Carrot

This white subspecies is tastier than its store-bought sibling, and has superior culinary properties.

Not to be outdone, common evening primrose roots may also be available in the same places. With a black pepper-and-radish flavor, these sweet roots thicken soups, stews, and sauces, the way okra does. 

Don't miss a fantastic tour of this little-known park!

The 3-hour foraging tour of Belmont Lake State Park in North Babylon begins at 11:30 AM, Saturday, March 12, at the benches between the parking lot and the building with the concession stand and restrooms, off exit 38 of the Southern State Parkway.

Please Note:

• Participants should be dressed for the weather, and be aware of very bad subway service. Trains are often canceled due to track work.
• No sandals (there are mosquitoes, thorns and poison ivy). Everyone should have plastic bags for veggies and herbs, paper bags for mushrooms, which spoil in
• plastic, containers for berries from late spring through fall, water and lunch, and extra layers when it's cold. Digging implements and pocket knives are optional.
• Dogs are permitted. Children are encouraged to attend.
• There's no smoking whatsoever at any time.