Springtime Arrives, Inside Appalachia

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We head to the woods for a master class in foraging for wild mushrooms.

And the woman behind the popular TikTok account “Appalachian Forager” makes jam from pawpaws and jewelry from coyote teeth.

We also visit the Alleghany Highlands, where mountain maple syrup traditions are changing with the times.

You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Fun With Foraging For Fungi

A finger points to a single chanterelle mushroom that has sprouted out of the ground. — A single, ancient chanterelle on the forest floor proved to be the only mushroom found the day of the hunt.
*Photo Credit: Wendy Welch/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Mushroom hunting has always been a part of Appalachian culture, but especially in recent years, mushrooms have been having a moment. In 2023, Folkways Reporter Wendy Welch spent time with fungi enthusiasts in Virginia and West Virginia and brought us this story.

Appalachian Forager Found On TikTok

An adult woman sits on a four-wheeler wearing sunglasses. She smiles for the camera. She wears a tank top shirt and black pants. She sports a messy bun of hair. There is a wicker basket on the front of the four-wheeler. She also picks pawpaws from a tree. — Johnson finds pawpaws on her family’s property in eastern Kentucky.
*Photo Credit: Amanda Page/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Gathering wild foods has long been a way to put food on the table in the Appalachian Mountains. But foraging is an acquired skill, and it’s not so easy to learn unless you have people to show you. Of course, in the internet age, it’s become a lot easier to find those kinds of folks, in online communities devoted to mushroom hunting and using native plants. One woman in Eastern Kentucky made a name for herself online as “Appalachian Forager.” And her videos have gone viral.

Last year, Folkways Reporter Amanda Page visited Appalachian Forager and had this story.

The Sweet Taste Of Syrup In Virginia And West Virginia

An older woman gives a young boy maple syrup. — Valerie Lowry offers samples to visitors at the Highland County Maple Syrup Festival.
*Photo Credit: Clara Haizlett/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

For warm weather lovers, the transition from winter to spring can be an excruciating time, with fits and starts, and fool’s spring. But that agonizing transition between cold and warmer weather also affects trees. Their sap inches up and then comes back down — and that’s how we get maple syrup.

Highland County, Virginia, and its neighbors in West Virginia are some of the southernmost places in the U.S. to make maple syrup.

Generations of people in these communities have turned tapping trees for syrup into a longstanding tradition — but modern producers are experimenting with new syrups while adapting to changing demands, and a changing climate.

From our Folkways archives, we bring you this story from Clara Haizlett.

Passing On The Craft Of Making Fly Fishing Rods

Close up of a man's hand on a fishing rod. — Lee Orr crafts simple fly fishing rods that are anything but simple.
*Photo Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcas*ting

For a lot of people, the best part of spring isn’t blooming trees or gardens, or even the return of warmer weather. It’s the return of trout fishing season. And while some anglers update their tackle with the latest innovations and new lures, fly fishing is a different story. A lot of folks who fly fish prefer to do things the old-fashioned way, with fishing flies and rods made by hand using traditional materials.

In 2023, Folkways Reporter Zack Harold took us out on the Elk River for a lesson in the art of fly fishing.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by John Blissard, John Inghram, Tim Bing, Mary Hott and Bob Thompson.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editors Jennifer Goren, Chris Julin, Nicole Musgrave and Mallory Noe-Payne.

You can send us an email: [email protected].

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and X @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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