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There’s a difference between picking a plant and knowing one.

As the forager behind Meadows & More, @meadowsandmore Tama Matsuoka Wong built her practice around a deep understanding of the land. Her mission starts with respect: leave the native and endangered species alone, take from the weeds and invasive plants, and stay attuned to natural cycles. It’s a relationship, not a transaction.

We spent a spring day with her in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Life slowed down.

“The healthier the land — and the less inputs you’ve put into it — the more it’s thriving… That makes for a better, healthier plant. And ultimately, healthier food for you.”

You can find Tama’s treasures on FreshDirect now: sumac, maitake mushrooms, brassicas, bamboo shoots, nettle. All tender, sweet, and at their prime.

Morels with Ojibwe rice from @meadowsandmore.

We’ve worked with Tama for a long time across all our restaurants, and what we’ve always appreciated is that her work isn’t just about foraging nearby ingredients, but thinking really thoughtfully about sourcing as a whole and how ingredients fit into the broader ecosystem around us.

That idea of “local” is something we spend a lot of time thinking about. Sometimes it means something growing wild nearby, and other times it means understanding what regional food systems actually look like in the context of how globalized food has become. A fish from Maine might not immediately sound local, but compared to seafood being flown across the world constantly, building relationships with fisheries and producers throughout the Northeast starts to feel very important to us.

The Ojibwe rice has become one of those ingredients we keep coming back to over the years because it carries so much character on its own—nutty, structured, slightly floral, and with a texture that holds up beautifully in richer dishes without ever feeling heavy. The Ojibwe communities have been harvesting this rice throughout the Great Lakes region for generations, and remains deeply tied to both the ecology and food traditions of the region.

Paired here with morels, which only really show up for this short window each spring. If you see it on the menu, order it every single time, seriously.

New arrivals for the late-spring-to-summer transition.

Single-varietal olive oil from @frantoiomuraglia in Italy. Citrusy spruce tips and wild bamboo shoots foraged locally by @meadowsandmore. Handcrafted nut butters from @bigspoonroasters. Sweet baby sugar mangoes and the start of stone fruit season. Plus, a new line of protein-packed coconut yogurts from @cocojune_organic.

The in-between season has never looked—or tasted—so good. Explore what’s new at link in bio.

New arrivals for the late-spring-to-summer transition.

Single-varietal olive oil from @frantoiomuraglia in Italy. Citrusy spruce tips and wild bamboo shoots foraged locally by @meadowsandmore. Handcrafted nut butters from @bigspoonroasters. Sweet baby sugar mangoes and the start of stone fruit season. Plus, a new line of protein-packed coconut yogurts from @cocojune_organic.

The in-between season has never looked—or tasted—so good. Explore what’s new at link in bio.

New arrivals for the late-spring-to-summer transition.

Single-varietal olive oil from @frantoiomuraglia in Italy. Citrusy spruce tips and wild bamboo shoots foraged locally by @meadowsandmore. Handcrafted nut butters from @bigspoonroasters. Sweet baby sugar mangoes and the start of stone fruit season. Plus, a new line of protein-packed coconut yogurts from @cocojune_organic.

The in-between season has never looked—or tasted—so good. Explore what’s new at link in bio.

New arrivals for the late-spring-to-summer transition.

Single-varietal olive oil from @frantoiomuraglia in Italy. Citrusy spruce tips and wild bamboo shoots foraged locally by @meadowsandmore. Handcrafted nut butters from @bigspoonroasters. Sweet baby sugar mangoes and the start of stone fruit season. Plus, a new line of protein-packed coconut yogurts from @cocojune_organic.

The in-between season has never looked—or tasted—so good. Explore what’s new at link in bio.

New arrivals for the late-spring-to-summer transition.

Single-varietal olive oil from @frantoiomuraglia in Italy. Citrusy spruce tips and wild bamboo shoots foraged locally by @meadowsandmore. Handcrafted nut butters from @bigspoonroasters. Sweet baby sugar mangoes and the start of stone fruit season. Plus, a new line of protein-packed coconut yogurts from @cocojune_organic.

The in-between season has never looked—or tasted—so good. Explore what’s new at link in bio.

New arrivals for the late-spring-to-summer transition.

Single-varietal olive oil from @frantoiomuraglia in Italy. Citrusy spruce tips and wild bamboo shoots foraged locally by @meadowsandmore. Handcrafted nut butters from @bigspoonroasters. Sweet baby sugar mangoes and the start of stone fruit season. Plus, a new line of protein-packed coconut yogurts from @cocojune_organic.

The in-between season has never looked—or tasted—so good. Explore what’s new at link in bio.

Tama Matsuoka Wong, author of Into the Weeds: How to Garden Like a Forager, once thought she was a bad gardener—until she realized she was surrounded by hidden delicacies. Now, she forages for the world’s best kitchens, finding flavor where others see weeds. Hear the full interview with Tama on S13 E16 through the link in our bio or by finding Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts!

Constant Wonder is the podcast for those looking to marvel at the world. Come explore science, nature, history, and the wonder of human existence. Our celebration of the world highlights the awe and wonder available all around us—in things human or wild, vast or small.

Smell, taste, and harvest your own spring edibles! Join me in a supervised workshop and foraging exploration at Morris Arboretum! Lunch is served!

📍 Morris Arboretum (100 E Northwestern Ave Philadelphia, PA) @morrisarboretum
📅 Saturday, April 11
⏰ 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

To register: https://experience.morrisarboretum.org/Info.aspx?EventID=35
(search page for "Tama") OR register by phone, call 215-247-5777 ext. 125.

#chinesenewyear2026🐉🐲🏮🧨🧧🇨🇳🎎🏯㊙️

Setsubun: ritual of winter into spring. Say goodbye to the cold and evil and hello to the cusp of spring and good luck coming. You can hear the chant a couple frames in “oni wa soto. Fuku wa uchi” means out with the devil in with good fortune. People throw dried soybeans at “evil spirits” and hang wishes for hope and good things. From halfway around the world i send these wishes for you. The shinto shrines in Kyoto.shinto is an animistic indigenous faith with deep reverence for nature.#setsubun👹 #oniwasoto #kyotofestival #shintoshrine

Peaceful new year with ice and snow. Weaving practice projects with equisteum and hemp from the meadow.#wildweaving #foragingfibers