Cobble Hill Forager Will Host Two Classes This Weekend

Want to really eat local? Learn how to forage for plants and herbs that exist within New York City.

On Sunday, Cobble Hill resident Marie Viljoen—rooftop gardener and writer for Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn—will lead two classes at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, teaching others how to find and make delicious meals out of foraged herbs, produce and more.

"The morning class is called Cooking with Wild Foods and Weeds," says Viljoen. "It is a virtual walk—with lots of pictures—through the foraging year in the city. I will be serving tastes of wild foods towards lunchtime, including garlic mustard bruschetta, sweetfern-infused chicken liver mousse, and knotweed vichyssoise."

The afternoon class will be focused around a foraging stroll on the eastern edge of Prospect Park. The cost ranges from $48-$53, depending upon membership status. 

In addition to foraging, Viljoen grows herbs, fruit, vegetables, and flowers from her South Brooklyn terrace and silver-top roof. She has created many dishes from her efforts, some of which have been documented on the blog 66 Square Feet (the Food). The rest will appear in her upcoming book, 66 Square Feet - a Delicious Life, to be released by Abrams later this year.