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I love the amazing mushrooms that I found with Alan Muskat
the foremost foraging experience in the country
as thrilling as reeling in a twenty-pound bass
Ideally you grow the herbs yourself… or forage them (dandelion, sassafras, nettle, heal all, pine needle)..., says Alan Muskat
Why don’t we eat squirrel?
“I’ve got a roadkill squirrel in the fridge.”
forget Noma—it’s time for NorCar
a “find dining” experience
tao-like wisdom
it’s all a question of what you’re used to
the original multigenerational activity
What’s for dinner…? That depends on what you bring in.
one of the nation’s premiere authorities on foraging
one of the best ways to get to know a place
a fun day in the mountains eating God knows what
find the elements you’ll later savor at a meal
Alan really knows his 'shrooms
Alan Muskat is like a bounty hunter — of mushrooms
something special — and plenty of bragging rights
epic excursions
“Alan brought me a tiny little truffle, and it felt like Gandolf giving someone the ring of power.”
I felt for a moment as if I’d stumbled upon a child’s tea party in the woods
a fascinating journey of discovery
“The Garden of Eden is real.”
Alan Muskat, the forager who found this truffle, believes the species, which he calls the Blue Ridge Truffle, might be one of the rarest in the world.
a realm of the senses all of its own
Grab a knife, hit the woods, and try not to kill anyone.
the country’s first forage-to-table experience
one of the coolest and most unique adventures in the city if not the Southeast
a first-of-its-kind nonprofit
Farm-to-table dinners are giving way to forage-to-table affairs.
Muskat, in his “hunter/gatherer” lifestyle, has been ahead of the trends, both on the foodie front and the economic one, too
go off-piste
Immerse yourself in the Appalachian landscape...
Muskat is also cofounder of an organization called The REAL Center, which, unlike the boring Sierra Club offers an ecosexuality workshop
Do you know your nettles from your poison ivy?
And you thought your job was tough?
turns travel into a giant edible scavenger hunt
Business has been picking up – literally.
a back-to-basics way to immerse yourself in a beautiful setting, focus on the present moment, and deeply satisfy your soul
He proposed in June while the two foraged for wild mushrooms.
A foraging excursion promises to be a lot more exciting than sitting down in a restaurant.
Muskat, whose expertise in all things edible and wild has made him a regional culinary celebrity...
With adventure-seeking foodies flocking to his mushroom-foraging tours…
sounds wild
free, fun, and easier than you think
There really is enough for everyone.
"We don’t have to be afraid."
a rare treat, and a must
an entirely new perspective on the weeds you regularly curse
enjoy the literal fruits of your labor
The fact that the ingredients had been gathered less than two hours before seemed to make the food taste even better.
foraging is a growing pastime
Anywhere else in the country, a mushroom forager and this apprentice rapping in the parking lot of a sporting goods store would be weird.
Get in touch with your most-at-peace self.
a fascinating journey… a real pleasure
surprisingly safe and easy
Dirt don’t hurt.
...the less picky you are — no pun intended — the more open you are to what life dishes out…
unique mountain-to-fork foodie experiences
If I can eat like this every night, I’ll be a happy camper.
dishes like venison tartare with blueberries, pickled milkweed and duck egg, and ramp cavatelli with black walnut
the Hunger Games experience
Everything looks good when you're starving.
sustainability, local experiences, outdoor adventure, all in one tasty package
Take to the hills.
something like Iron Chef meets Survivorman
wild delicacies hiding in plain sight
Move over wild boars. There’s a new set of hunters on the prowl: hotel guests.
Freshly snuck up on mushrooms taste so much better than the non-snuck-up-on kind.
Alan’s not most people.
"food shopping" in the forest
You’ll never go hungry.
like a shopping spree
foragers make $300 an hour digging in the dirt
Go to the source. Literally.
Get off the eaten path.
The staff will whip up an appetizer or cocktail, gratis, with your wild loot.
a great way to engage with your surroundings and your food
“It just totally grew on me. Like a fungus.”
His tours are like underground clubs or closed-door restaurants.
Alan Muskat has forged a revolution.
The particular truffle that Muskat found, the Blue Ridge Truffle, might just be the rarest type in the world.
first-of-its-kind
top-notch tours
We came upon a large mushroom which weighed 20 pounds. The chefs turned the mushroom into an appetizer and shockingly, ice cream.
Welcome to the always adventurous, often altruistic, and occasionally wacky world of invasivorism.
What better culinary skill than being able to harvest one's own dinner in the woods?
one of the fastest-growing food trends in recent memory
If Alan has a basic message... it’s that the world is still our home.
an unforgettable spring break experience
Like a woodsy, wide-eyed Willy Wonka, Muskat invites his guests to abandon the pedestrian trail and step inside the wild buffet of the forest.
draw upon the bounty of nature
Collecting maitake mushrooms with naturalist Alan Muskat near Biltmore estate in Asheville, NC. I always love a good mushroom hunt!
more than 300 edibles
Once you get into it, you’ll be hooked for life.
a different approach to gourmet food shopping
a hot new holiday trend
not your average wellness retreat
You quickly become a disciple… It suddenly seems silly to be forcing crops upon a planet that is bursting with foods literally at our feet.
Get ready. Your food is about to get wild.
Let nature feed your soul and your appetite.
a gateway into deeper ecological awareness
Soon the baskets are filled with edible flowers, stems and leaves.
What's not to love?!
a culinary experience to remember
the greatest biodiversity outside of the tropics in the entire Western Hemisphere
The guests who meet Alan Muskat in their Asheville, North Carolina, hotel lobby at 10 a.m. are in for a different experience than most travelers wandering downstairs for breakfast.
If you’re looking to take the local movement to the extreme…
Not only can foraging help you survive in an emergency, it can be a means of diversifying and supplementing your diet with fresh, truly local foods.
Dissen describes Muskat’s approach as “brilliant,” likening the program to “Disney World for adults.”
widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable experts in the rare field of mycology
It's a rare entrepreneur that can succeed on a model based on an element of danger. Muskat is like the Appalachian version of the sushi chef who specializes in fugu.
Muskat is a showman...
Muskat is somewhat of a pioneer, harvesting all sorts of creepy crawlies with which to experiment.