By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Are these plants and berries edible? How can I tell? How do I cook the things I find?
These and many other questions will be answered during the Friends of Rogers (FOR) programs in the next few days.
The center’s Senior Educator Marissa Nolan will present two free programs for adults at Empire Farm Brewery, 33 Rippleton Rd., Cazenovia. “Can I Eat It?”—a lecture on edible wild plants—will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20. An interactive outdoor program, titled “Cooking with Fire,” will be presented at 1:30 pm on Saturday, March 23.
“A lot of our programming in the past has been focused on children and schools . . . [but] recently, within the past year or so, we’ve really tried to increase our adult programming,” Nolan said.
FOR is a non-profit organization that manages Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne and offers a variety of programs designed to increase environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world.
Friends of Rogers started offering monthly adult “learning lectures” and “EdVenture” programs in September. While the lecture series is not overly active, explained Nolan, the EdVenture series offers outdoor recreation experiences.
During the learning lecture “Can I Eat It?” Nolan will discuss several types of local edible plants that can be found fairly regularly and easily this time of year. In addition to introducing the plants, she will discuss their potential uses and culinary histories.
“There are not a lot of plants coming up currently with all of the snow, but there’s always conifer needles,” Nolan said.
Participants will have the opportunity to sample several types of needle teas and learn about their properties.
According to Nolan, the EdVenture program “Cooking with Fire” will be a relaxed, hands-on experience, during which participants will discover the nuances of cooking over an open flame.
Participants will have the opportunity to sample pre-prepared, fire-cooked foods and to create and cook their own sweet and savory dishes.
Nolan stepped into her position as senior educator about a year ago. She holds an undergraduate degree in wildlife biology and a master’s in environmental interpretation.
FOR took over the management of Rogers in 2011 after the DEC closed the center down in 2010. The center now serves more than 13,000 visitors each year, offering 600 acres of land with a variety of habitats for walkers, bird watchers, photographers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers.
The property is open from sunrise to sunset. A visitor center is open Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Access to the property and the visitor’s center is free.
According to Nolan, FOR hopes to partner with both Empire Brewery and Cazenovia Preservation Foundation (CPF) to present outdoors programs in the area this summer.
For more information on the upcoming programs, contact Nolan at [email protected] or Empire Farm Brewery at 315-655-2337.
