Taylor Hinton-Ridling

Foraging is often a natural extension of a general love of the outdoors, and is perhaps even inevitable, as Taylor Hinton-Ridling put it. She and her wife both enjoy wandering in the woods and learning wilderness skills, so they learned “everything from animal print tracking to archery bow-making in our 20s,” she explains, including foraging. Hinton-Ridling says it “feels like play and prayer at the same time,” and it’s a great way to get exercise, enjoy solitude, learn about regional ecology, and hone practical outdoor skills.

She got started foraging on her own, but soon began taking classes and learning from herbalists to sharpen her identification skills. Her most exciting find was on her own property when she discovered her first maitake, or hen-of-the-woods. “The name means ‘dancing mushroom’ in Japanese because people danced with happiness upon finding it in the wild – and that was certainly my reaction! I celebrated by making a big Southern-style lunch with the mushrooms prepared like fried chicken,” she recalls.
In terms of the local foraging community, Hinton-Ridling has connected with people of all ages and experience levels by attending conferences, classes, and clubs. “Everyone is so willing to share knowledge, access, and excess,” she enthuses, and this helps build her confidence when she goes out on her own. “I like to go out with my wife; it feels safer being off the beaten path when we’re together. Plus, she’s really good at spotting mushrooms and hypes me up when I know the Latin binomial,” she shares.

According to Hinton-Ridling, foraging is sustainable not only because it produces less waste and is a departure from consumer culture, but because it reminds people that they are connected to the earth, which fosters a desire to protect wild spaces and vulnerable species. This connection to nature is also spiritual for Hinton-Ridling. “The first thing I notice on a walk has often been the ‘medicine’ that I or a loved one needed – pipsissewa for bladder issues, ground ivy for an ear infection, peach leaves for morning sickness. There’s a real mystery to this practice that is beyond textbooks,” she shares.
Hinton-Ridling encourages people who are interested in these ideas but don’t find eating weeds appealing to try wilding their landscapes with bee-friendly native plants like Cumberland rosemary, mountain mint, and coneflower.
Favorites From the Forest Floor
“Medicinal tinctures and oils, sun teas, or sumac lemonade. I also make cyanotype photograms, a kind of botanical artwork.”