Episode 262: Russ Cohen

Greenhorns Radio

Until his retirement last summer, Russ Cohen’s “day job” was serving as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration, where he had worked since 1988, and where one of his areas of expertise was riparian vegetation. Now Russ has more time to pursue his passionate avocation, which is connecting to nature via his taste buds. He is an expert forager and the author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, published in 2004 by the Essex County Greenbelt Association and now in its sixth printing. Mr. Cohen has been teaching foraging since 1974 and conducts over three dozen foraging walks and talks each year at a wide variety of venues throughout the Northeast. In addition, since his retirement, Russ is aspiring to become a “Johnny Appleseed” of sorts for native edible plants: collecting wild edible seeds and nuts for propagating and planting, and assisting and partnering with others in this endeavor.