A True Return to Nature at Rutgers Gardens

Editor's Note: The following article is an account of a man who is experienced in the foraging and consumption of wild plants, mushrooms and herbs. Anyone interested in this lifestyle is urged to seek the knowledge and assistance of an expert on foraging before going out into the wild with the intent of consuming plants. Many plants may tasty and beneficial, but just as many can be dangerous if accidentally eaten!

Walking into Rutgers Gardens on Ryders Lane with Dan Farella, we've barely gone 10 steps before he stops and pulls a few brightly colored berries down from a tree.

"Kousa dogwood," he explains. "The custard of North America."

The berries are not yet fully ripe, as evident by their yellow and light pink bumpy skins. But Farella says once they fruit is ripe, it turns a deep red and tastes creamy and sweet.

Farella is a forager. That is, he finds herbs, plants and mushrooms outside in the wild and consumes them for dietary and health reasons.

A resident of North Brunswick, Farella said his love of plants and nature stemmed from his childhood. His mother always kept gardens next to his sandbox, and he grew up knowing a lot of plants and foliage, he said.

In his adult years, Dan runs a pratice of sorts called "Return to Nature," through which he educates people on the usage of wild herbs for medicinal purposes and nutrition, hosts food foraging tours, and holds yoga and music lessons, as well as Theta healing sessions.

He hosts workshops locally that educate folks on how to make their own herbal and medicinal salves, tinctures and elixirs, as well as a number of nature walks around the state.

"By foraging, you're forced to understand the history of the land and in that something magical happens," Farella said.

Over about an hour and a half in Rutgers Gardens, Farella was able to locate spice bush, plantago, and witch hazel, all of of which have antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties, and can be used in first aid; a wild variety of white button mushrooms; tall, hollow bamboo reeds, which can be eaten, used as tools, or be drained of their fresh water;  and staghorn sumac, sassafras, and reishi mushrooms.

One of the most interestings things Farella pointed out is a mushroom that grows on trees called Artist Conk.

The flat mushroom has a white underside, which some people draw or carve on to create works of art. Farella said the mushroom has been studied in China and Japan and is believed to reduce cancer.

When asked about the level of toxicity in plants in this area, particularly close to major travel arteries like Route 1 and the Turnpike, Farella said that's part of being aware and educated about what he is looking for and what he is consuming.

The same goes for local, sustainable  and organic food practices, which he said is a "Great principle," but require a certain degree of research to make sure what you are really getting is not an industry created buzzword or false promise.

Farella said his lifestyle has yet to make him sick.

"I am a self-taught mushroom forager. I have never even gotten diarrhea," he said.

In order to avoid becoming ill, Farella said anyone who is interested in the foraging should seek the assistance of someone who has studied wild plants and knows how to identify them. A respect of nature is also key, he said.

"This is not just 'stuff' - this is the food you eat, this is your healing," Farella said.

"We are nature, I firmly believe that," he said.

Several of Farella's workshops are offered here in New Brunswick at Raices Cultural Center, such as an herbal healing series that will be offered on Sept. 25, Oct. 22, and Nov. 19.

For more information on Dan Farella and Return to Nature, visit his website at www.returntonature.us.