chaoticforager

07/04/2025

Join up at UVA today at 1 PM! I’ll be there to stand with my friends and colleagues against the attempted takeover of my university by anti-academic fascists.

06/11/2025

because folks were asking for it, here’s a shareable post with the lil stream of consciousness poem-ish thing i wrote earlier.

and to the people telling me “stop being political and go back to being mushroom auntie,” foraging is inherently political, and you haven’t been paying any fu***ng attention.

05/21/2025

I’m leading a foray in Charlottesville this Saturday, May 24, from 11-1 PM! Tickets are available on my website and there are still a few left, so grab them while you can. I keep my classes small so I can meet everyone on their own level, and we’ll even have some homemade foraged treats to sample at the end! Expand your skills or learn new ones, and discover the magic of wild foraging!

02/15/2025

Meet Panellus stipticus, also known as the “bitter oysterling.” What’s so special about this modest little mushroom? I’ll tell you — she’s BIOLUMINESCENT! In the right conditions, P. stipticus will light up with a haunting, greenish-white glow, likely due to a chemical reaction between a pigment called luciferin and an enzyme called luciferase. The glow may attract insects who then assist in spore distribution!

01/07/2025

Welcome to my fermentation station, where the magic happens! If you’re on a lil journey or doing a you might be interested in finding some new ways to cut costs on groceries while engaging in a fun new hobby and cutting down on . so here’s my official petition for you to become my friend and start making your own creative ferments!

01/04/2025

2024 was an enormously challenging year for me, one that stretched and pushed me in ways I didn’t think were possible. This year, I’m focusing on simplicity. Mending and making, giving gifts and learning how to receive them too. Learning new skills. Most importantly, community.
In my new book, I talk about the value of community along the foragers way. How we must show up for each other, and perhaps the greater challenge, allow others to show up for us. Self-sufficiency is the biggest lie we tell ourselves. We can’t do it alone, and we were never meant to. The give and take of relationship is almost never one for one. Sometimes we need more, other times we have more to give. Those things don’t always line up. When my hands are full, I must share with my neighbor whose hands are empty. When my hands are empty, I must be willing to ask for something to fill them. When the tree has fruit, it gives it away. When it has none, we care for it anyway by pruning dead branches, hauling water to feed its roots, and cleaning up the area surrounding it.
I’m not someone who has an easy time being vulnerable. I struggle endlessly with an inclination to be self-sufficient, to always find enough to give away while asking for nothing, even when my well is dry. When I struggle in silence, I’m not only hurting myself; I’m hurting my community by depriving them of the opportunity to care for me.
It was very difficult for me to accept this exquisite work of art from as a gift. I tried to pay her, but she insisted it needed to be free, no strings attached, because she knew I was going through a challenging time and she wanted to send some joy my way. And now, every day when I drink coffee out of this beautiful mug and pour cream from its tiny matching pitcher plant creamer, I feel a weight lifted from my chest. Haley is part of my community now, and allowing her to care for me in this way has healed something in me.
I’m looking forward to caring for Haley in a non-monetary way as a way of thanking her for her kindness, and honestly, this is the energy I think we all need more of as we begin our 2025.
Make, mend, learn, gift, and show up for one another.

11/20/2024

I'm mentioned in this National Geographic article!

From Lion’s Mane supplements to mushroom 'leather' shoes, mushrooms are having a moment right now. But the trend isn't new—these 19th-century women were among the world's first fungi fans.

11/07/2024

There are a few spaces left for foraging walks in Virginia this year! Reserve your spot for the 16th in Charlottesville below! We'll be spending two hours together on a gentle hike where I'll teach you how to identify edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms, capped off by enjoying some homemade treats made with foraged ingredients. :)

Fall is here, and it's the best time of year to be a forager! Join Gabrielle for a 2-hour fall foraging walk (1-3 miles of relatively easy terrain) in the Charlottesville area, where you'll learn all about mushrooms and their tree allies, edible and medicinal plants, and more! Class size is limited

10/30/2024

I’ve been fuming ever since I heard that booty-faced “comedian” take a nasty racist jab at my culture (among several other zingers that evening). This election cycle is bringing out some of the ugliest rhetoric we’ve heard in a long time, and it only makes the world more dangerous for marginalized people everywhere. So, I invite you to join me in making some and appreciating the culture of Puerto Rico.

10/20/2024

Come hang out with me and the wonderful folks at Stone Soup!!!

Join Gabrielle Cerberville, the Chaotic Forager, as she guides us in identifing edible plants and mushrooms.

The guided walk will begin at Stone Soup Books on Saturday, November 2nd, and a foraged snack will be provided at the end.

🍂 Walk starts and ends at Stones Soup Books

🍂 cost is $30/adult and $5/child

🍂 Rain or shine-dress accordingly

🍂 walk will be approximately 1 mile and roughly follow the greenway

This is a ticketed event and will be kept to a limited number of people. Please buy tickets early. Message us for the ticket link!

10/13/2024

When you’re hunting for this fall, don’t forget to look up, not just down! Otherwise, you might miss something amazing, like this massive flush of fungi! Prized for their delicate crablike flavor and texture, they can easily sub in for crab in vegan or vegetarian versions of your crabby faves! You might need to take a trip to the hardware store, though…

10/12/2024

It’s season again, which means it’s time to play that time time-honored game where I learn whether I’m going home with dinner or whether I got here too late! The is edible when pure white (and kind of tastes mild and funky like tofu), but when it matures, it’s less than spectacular.