In the Twin Tiers (Western New York’s Southern Tier and Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier), springtime has its own flavor. Wild leeks, which are related to onions, are vernal culinary delights that many people will cook in soups with ham and/or potatoes. You’ll also find them used by small grocers and delis to lend some pungent power to sausages and dips. Some small towns will have cooking contests and community fundraisers centered around leeks. Despite its abundance on the menu in those lands, it’s not the most abundant plant in the wild. Those who provide leeks to the grocery stores and church events on an annual basis understand that, and they know how to manage a sustainable crop that yields from the forest floor every year. But, for those who are new to the harvesting experience, it’s very easy to go overboard picking the greens and bulbs, thus wiping out entire colonies. That’s why I often encourage people to instead pick a related plant that is quite the opposite when it com...

  Allegany County is home to nearly 60,000 acres of public land. It has a picturesque mix of forests and farmland and boasts more than a dozen streams, rivers, and lakes that are stocked with trout on an annual basis or have been stocked in past years. Add to the mix countless other smaller and unnamed brooks which support populations of native brook trout or transients from the larger bodies of water and you have yourself a very remarkable trout fishery. Allegany County’s largest watershed – and a premier fishery -- is the Genesee River, which cuts right through the center of the county. It is a remarkable river that starts in the mountains of Pennsylvania and works its way to Lake Ontario. The Allegany County section of the Genesee offers a varied fishery for even the most finicky of trout anglers thanks to its wide-ranging physical makeup: over its length it sports rapids, long stretches of riffles, slow-moving meanders, and countless deep pools. By traveling even just a half-...