The Hudson Valley is known for its rich diversity of temperate plant species. Many of these plants are edible and have fed the region’s human inhabitants for millennia. At this event, Wild Hudson Valley co-founders Anna Plattner and Justin Wexler will describe the many ways in which they bridge the past with the present by introducing the region’s residents and visitors to these wild foods, which are so much more than just an edible or ecological part of the landscape. From classes on Northeastern Native land stewardship, to guided foraging walks and even a wild food CSA, the couple will discuss the many ways in which they open the region’s eyes (and tastebuds!) to Hudson Valley nature and history.

Anna Plattner and Justin Wexler run Wild Hudson Valley, a forest farm and educational organization based in the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley. They grow wild-simulated ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, and steward a wide variety of wild plants and mushrooms. Anna and Justin regularly host workshops and consultations focused on Hudson Valley history, wild foods, forest farming, and land stewardship practices. Anna Plattner received her BS from Cornell University, where she majored in Natural Resources. Over the last two decades, she has overseen multiple large-scale agroforestry operations. Justin Wexler holds a BA in History and Anthropology from Marlboro College and a Master of Arts in Teaching and Professional Certificate in Environmental Policy from Bard College. An ethnoecologist, Justin has spent his career either outdoors or deep in archival and ethnographic research to better understand the history, culture, and land management practices of the Native Peoples of the Hudson and Delaware Valleys