Foraging for Beginners
Have you ever, without really thinking about it, plucked a particularly staunch blade of grass, put the slender stem just below the green part in between your teeth, and bit down to taste the wee bit of sweetness inside? If so, my friend, you have foraged. Really. That's all it takes.
I say this because when I sat down to write this post, first I did a quick search for "forage food"--just to see what would turn up. And of course, because we now live in a world where everything has to be so tremendously complicated, several of the top results were for "Become a Master Forager" courses or something similar. Mushroom hunting, it appears, is the new hot thing. And forget old school stuff like truffles and chanterelles, today's fungi forays are all about "adaptogens" and psilocybins.
Which is fine. I haven't tried these new magic 'shrooms, so I ain't knocking them. But this post here is for the novice forager, the simple soul who wants to go outside and rummage around for fresh nibbles without a degree in toxicology.
Every day, SdV Creative Director Luke Andahazy forages for lunch in his backyard suburban permaculture garden.
Foraging in the land of the Fey
Many years ago, I wandered and hitchhiked my way up the western coast of Ireland--Sligo, Donegal, wild windswept heather-strewn places. Walking was easy and good in that crystalline air, never too hot, with just enough chill to keep the legs moving at a brisk pace. With the cold Atlantic surf pounding the cliffs below, the scrim of rain always on the horizon, on a good day I would cover fifteen miles.
Along the way, I found things to eat. There were small blackberries, a bit more acidic than the store-bought variety (which always seemed more like candy to me afterward) and bushes covered in tiny red trumpet shaped flowers that tasted of honey. When I ventured down to the beaches, "strands" the Irish call them, I chewed strands of dulse, salted with curds of ocean foam.
Of course that wasn't all I ate. Every evening, I would find some pub serving food and treat myself to a pint of the brown stuff (Guinness), a hunk of brown soda bread, and a bowl of soup. The nettle soup wasn't my favorite, but it was interesting that people had figured out a way to make those spiny things, so treacherous to a walker like me, edible and nourishing. I didn't have any delusions about being a hunter-gatherer; I was quite content to supplement my diet with cooked meals and a creamy stout. But those clean bursts of flavor and whatever nutrition the foods I found gave me made that memorable journey better, truer, somehow more.
But you don't have to walk about the Emerald Isle to forage. Your backyard, community garden, or local park likely has plenty of wild or semi-wild offerings. Dandelions, violets, redbud blossoms, purple dead nettle, bloody dock, amaranth, even the reviled pokeweed all have tasty and edible parts. And now there's all sorts of handy apps where you can take a picture with your phone and get an instant identification and analysis of the plant.
Kristina Maze, on of our Patreons and loyal supporters, made this vibrant salad from wildflowers and garden greens in her tiny DC backyard.
Get Guidance
If you're still leery of ingesting nature's more random gifts, try "foraging" at your local farmers market. Be on the lookout for things you've never seen or tried before, like ramps, or even unusual versions of more familiar foods, like purple carrots or golden raspberries. Just trying new textures and flavors can be the first step to acquiring a more adventurous palate.
However you go about it, with a good book or instant app, definitely you want to use a guide. Leave the fungi to the "masters." One nibble of a toxic mushroom is enough to be fatal. The same goes for many common garden plants, including azalea, daffodil, hyacinth, laurel, rhododendron, and morning glory. Some plants, like rhubarb, may have an edible part (the stem) while all others are poisonous. The difference between a subtle poison and a potent medicine is often a hair's breadth. Be prudent and know what you are putting in your mouth before you do it.
For those of you in temperate/northern climates, here's a very practical guide from my off-grid comrade Atulya Bingham who currently homesteads in Asturias, northern Spain.
Foraging my 9 Favorite Edible Greens
With the proper caution and guides, however, even garden-variety foraging for uncommon foodstuffs is a richly rewarding experience. Wild and semi-wild greens such like lemon sorrel, purslane, and lambsquarters have a slightly bitter taste that practically tells you, "I am here to clean you from the inside out." The peppery taste of marigold or nasturtium flowers stimulates appetite and digestion while the cool cucumber-like flavor of borage calms both mind and stomach.
Because of their stronger and less-cultivated flavors, I think one of the most agreeable ways to use foraged greens is in a pesto. Oil and salt smooth out the rough edges, and a splash of orange or lemon juice helps to break down tougher textures into digestible nutrients. Here is one of my favorite guides to a "weedy" pesto from my friend Stephanie, who tends to her edible backyard in Wisconsin, USA.
Stephanie’s pesto over mushroom ravioli. Ok, now who wants to forage?
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However you choose to use your harvests, foraging is a special way to connect with the wild plant kingdom outside your own door. Experimenting with edible "weeds" brings much needed diversity to a tired and monotonous diet. Every fruit, vegetable, and herb has its own unique flavor and nutrient profile to contribute to your health and vitality. As an advocate of pared-down living, I don't often say this: But, when it comes to diversity in your diet, more is definitely better.
Kristen Krash is the co-founder and director of Sueño de Vida, a regenerative cacao farm and reforestation mission in Ecuador. Sueño de Vida works to educate and inspire everyday people about permaculture, sustainable living, environmental activism, and healthy living all in the name of living more in harmony with nature.
You can support the Sueño de Vida mission today by purchasing our cacao or contributing to direct reforestation.
Thank you.