Written by Gina Smith | Photos by Evan Anderson
Western North Carolina’s Rich Foraging Scene Provides Nourishment for Body and Soul
The long view from Susi Gott Séguret’s home at the top of Tater Gap Road is a wash of bright green peaks and muted valleys against a cornflower-blue sky. Perched in the far western reaches of Madison County, just over an hour’s drive northwest of Asheville, the only sound here is the steady whisper from the mossy-banked creek that hugs her yard, punctuated by an occasional sigh of wind.
Around the rustic little house, a riot of plant life explodes up and down the steep hillsides. To a mountain newcomer, the exuberant vegetation blends together into an anonymous tangle. But to Séguret, who is leading a small group on a foraging excursion into the forest on this spring afternoon, a wooden harvesting basket swinging from her elbow, the bewildering backdrop of flora and fungi is both a smorgasbord and a medicine cabinet—a crowd of edible allies and healing friends.
The full article continues below. Click to open in fullscreen…
