Wild & Local Foods BLOG

Forage | Savor | Cook

Cook boldly, forage mindfully, support locally!


At Culinary Harts, we’re passionate about exploring the edible treasures of New England—from the forest floor to the rocky coastline. While we don’t claim to be experts in every wild ingredient, we’ve combined our culinary knowledge with hands-on experience in foraging and harvesting mushrooms, plants, shellfish, and other wild foods, since moving to New England in 2010.

This blog is where we share our adventures, offer tips for safe and responsible gathering, and showcase the recipes we create with these ingredients. Whether it’s a rare mushroom, a wild green, or fresh seafood, our goal is to inspire you to get outdoors, explore, and bring the flavors of the wild into your kitchen.

At Culinary Harts, we celebrate the abundance of nature—foraged in New England, crafted for your table.


Happy foraging
Deja & Karsten Hart

Umami BBQ Ribs

Umami BBQ Ribs

As we head into the winter season, foraging becomes scarce-so instead, we headed just around the corner to one of our favorite Rhode Island farms. Pats Pastured, located at 830 South Rd. in East Greenwich, humanely raises chickens, ducks, turkeys, pork, and beef on a pasture-based diet. Their animals graze on grass and, during the colder months, non-GMO beans and grains. They use no antibiotics, hormones, GMOs, steroids, or any other garbage that is regularly pumped into our food system. Owners Patrick and Kelly raise their animals with genuine care, and it shows. While we were there, we picked up…

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Discovering flavors of sumac. 

Discovering flavors of sumac. 

Over the past few years, Deja and I have found a lot of joy in exploring the wild ingredients that grow right here in New England. Foraging has opened our eyes to a whole new world of flavors and ingredients that are often overlooked but deeply connected to the land around us. One ingredient that recently caught our attention is smooth sumac, a native plant with bright red berries and a tangy, citrus-like flavor. Identifying Sumac: Edible vs. Poisonous Before harvesting, it’s important to know how to safely identify edible sumac. Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) and staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)…

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A recent find: Coral Tooth Mushroom (Hericium coralloides)

A recent find: Coral Tooth Mushroom (Hericium coralloides)

The photo above was taken in Camden, Maine, September 5th, 2025, after a long stretch of dry weather. Typically, this time of year we find golden chanterelles, yellow foot chanterelles, black trumpets, or the occasional lobster mushroom—but on this trip, none were around.

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Behind our Mission

Explore our Products, Videos, Blog & Recipes.

01. Artisan Goods

New England artisans who thoughtfully curate tools, gear and natural goods that celebrate community and nature.

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02. Recipes

Discover recipes that celebrate the best of our region — from foraged wild foods and responsibly farmed meats to locally crafted artisan goods. Each dish highlights the ingredients and stories that make New England’s food culture so unique.

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03. Foraging

Explore the woods, marshy shorelines, and local farms in search of wild foods and sustainably raised products.

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04. Watch Videos

Watch how we bring wild foods, farm-raised products, and locally crafted goods to life through approachable cooking techniques and creative recipes that celebrate flavor, seasonality, and place.

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We share the flavors and stories
of New England

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