Santa Monicas : Hikers Weed Out the Good From the Bad

Mmmm, good!

A group of hikers got a taste of the great outdoors Sunday during a walk designed to introduce them to Mother Nature’s wide variety of edible, useful--and poisonous--plants.

Led by Peter Rice, a 12-year hiking veteran nicknamed “Peter the Leader,” the group explored a one-mile stretch of Franklin Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains south of Studio City.

The three-hour jaunt, put together through the National Park Service, demonstrated that the study of nature includes all the senses--including taste and smell.

Hikers learned which plants make itchy enemies, like poison oak and stinging nettles, and which make tasty snacks, like fennel, a licorice-flavored herb of the carrot family.