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

By Robyn Doyon-Aitken ,

Chef Plum, Catie Talarski, Meg Dalton, Tagan Engel, Katrice Claudio, Stephanie Stender

Published June 22, 2023 at 9:26 AM EDT

1 of 9 — Seasoned Foraging

Chef Chrissy Tracey blows the brown outer layer off of a freshly picked fiddlehead before adding it to her bag.

Tyler Russell / Connecticut Public

2 of 9 — Seasoned Foraging

Fiddlehead ferns grow out of “dark brown mounds on the ground,” explained chef Chrissy Tracey on a forage with Chef Plum. “You get a shoot of anywhere from five to 12 fiddlehead ferns growing out of that one base.” When foraging, Chrissy snaps the top inch to inch-and-a-half off the stem and harvests only one or two fiddleheads per mound.

Tyler Russell / Connecticut Public

3 of 9 — Seasoned Foraging

Even though the fiddleheads were plentiful in this area, chef Chrissy Tracey still emphasized the importance of harvesting in moderation to ensure the spot will continue to thrive in coming years.

Tyler Russell / Connecticut Public

4 of 9 — Seasoned Foraging

When fiddlehead ferns are plentiful in spring, and abundant in a patch, it can be a challenge not to trample them.

Tyler Russell / Connecticut Public

5 of 9 — Seasoned Foraging

Chef Chrissy Tracey leads the hike back with her bag of foraged fiddleheads in hand.

Tyler Russell / Connecticut Public

The fiddleheads must be blanched before proper cooking can begin.

Chef Chrissy Tracey takes Plum out to forage for fiddleheads.

6 of 9 — Seasoned Foraging

Fiddleheads must be cooked before eating. A quick blanch preps the fiddleheads for cooking and helps them retain their texture and green color during the sauté process.

Tyler Russell / Connecticut Public

Sautéed fiddleheads with garlic, lemon, and spices. When describing thier flavor, chef Chrissy says, It's very clean. tastes like spring

7 of 9 — Seasoned Foraging

Sautéed fiddleheads with garlic, lemon, and spices. When describing their flavor, chef Chrissy Tracey says, "It's very clean. . .I always tell everybody, I think they taste like spring."

Tyler Russell / Connecticut Public

Chris "Painted Turtle" Harris is a Pipe Carrier and ceremonial leader of the Mohegan people

8 of 9 — Chris Painted Turtle 2.jpg

Chris "Painted Turtle" Harris, a Pipe Carrier and ceremonial leader of the Mohegan people, plays a traditional gathering song at Fort Shantok Park on the Mohegan Reservation.

Tagan Engel / Connecticut Public

9 of 9 — Family foraging_Tagan Engel.jpg

From left, Ifadayo Engel-Halfkenny, Enroue Halfkenny, Tomitsela Engel-Halfkenny harvest mulberries in New Haven, CT., June 2022.

Tagan Engel / Connecticut Public

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.

Plus, Tagan, who is also a food justice activist and chef, shares her recipe for Mulberry and Juneberry Pie Filling and Hand Pies, as well as her tips for neighborhood foraging —wherever you might live.

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 Mulberry & Juneberry 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.

Seasoned is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!