After hurricane helene’s devastation, asheville kids learn to trust nature again through wild food foraging

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s destructive path through western North Carolina, an innovative after-school program in Asheville is helping children rebuild their relationship with the natural world that both nourished and traumatized their community. The program, called “No Taste Like Home,” teaches students to identify and harvest wild, edible plants—demonstrating that nature provides sustenance as well as storms.

Twelve-year-old Juniper Stewart exemplifies the program’s impact. This indie rock-loving preteen has become an expert forager, capable of identifying Pilobolus mushrooms that grow on manure and confidently harvesting plantain leaves—a common wild plant that’s both nutritious in meals and medicinal for treating stings and poison ivy. At home, she dries sourwood leaves for homemade tea and marvels at the explosive nature of jewelweed seed pods when touched.

The foraging program represents more than just outdoor education; it’s a form of ecological healing. After experiencing nature’s destructive power through Hurricane Helene’s flooding and wind damage, these young students are learning to see the land as a source of nourishment and wonder rather than fear. By teaching children to identify and safely harvest wild foods, the program helps restore trust between the next generation and their environment.

This approach to post-disaster recovery acknowledges that rebuilding communities means more than repairing infrastructure—it requires mending the psychological relationship between people and the natural world they depend on. Through hands-on learning about edible and medicinal plants, Asheville’s children are discovering that nature’s capacity to nurture often outweighs its potential for harm.