Foraging with Chrissy Tracey and Mohegan elder Chris “Painted Turtle” Harris

Jun 21 2023 • 48 mins

We look at foraging from two perspectives in this episode of Seasoned. What approach do chefs take when foraging? Chef Plum forages for fiddleheads in northwestern Connecticut along the Housatonic River with chef Chrissy Tracey. She explains why she believes foraging is sacred. After their harvest, the chefs head back to Chrissy’s kitchen to sauté the fiddleheads in garlic and lemon. And, Seasoned contributor/producer Tagan Engel talks with Chris “Painted Turtle” Harris about how he, as an herbalist and elder in the Mohegan Tribe, approaches a forage in the forest.

GUESTS:

Chrissy Tracey: Forager, private chef, content creator, and recipe developer. Her first cookbook, Forage & Feast publishes spring 2024
Chris Harris Painted Turtle: Herbalist, Pipe Carrier and member of the Council of Elders for the Mohegan Tribe

FEATURED RECIPE: Tagan Engel's Foraged Berry Hand Pies

LEARN MORE:
Mohegan Medicine Woman Gladys Tantaquidgeon’s book, Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkian Indians influenced Chris’s approach to foraging. Gladys co-founded the Tantaquidgeon Museum in Uncasville in 1931. Tour the museum to learn more about the Mohegan people.

Chris also credits herbalist and educator Lupo Passero and the class he took at Twin Star with deepening his knowledge and understanding of wild plants and herbs. Follow along as Chris takes a walk in the woods with Regan Stacey of The Forest Therapy School, stopping along the Four Directions to offer prayers and explain the meanings behind the Four Directions.

Want to become part of a foraging community? Listen back to our conversation with Amy Demers, founder of the Connecticut Foraging Club. Amy was recently featured in a CT Public story highlighting New England foragers.

This show was produced by Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Catie Talarski, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender, Meg Fitzgerald, and Sabrina Herrera.

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email: seasoned@ctpublic.org.

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