People have gathered edible plants and animals from the wild forever. This may seem alien to those who think meals come from supermarkets and restaurants, but it is still a way of life for many peoples of the world. Even in the ultra-civilized United States, interest in foraging wild food in Ca to NY is growing.
Of course, many people are perfectly happy to get their food from supermarkets and restaurants. If they really want fresh, they patronize farmer's markets in their area. However, it's trendy now to cook with foraged ingredients, like purslane or ramps (wild leeks). Others may have grown up eating dandelion salad, wild asparagus, and fish fresh from the pond. They know how fresh really tastes.
Television shows have brought to public attention what had become arcane knowledge - the fact that many native plants are tasty, nutritious, or therapeutic. There is a wealth of great books and, now, online sites dedicated to teaching people how to identify and use plants that grow in cracks of sidewalks, in vacant city lots, or along the highways and by-ways.
Actually, most residents of North America know a little, like the facts that dandelions are edible or that toadstools are poisonous. They may have learned that native Americans made flour out of acorns, ate enough oysters to leave impressive piles of shells, and made pemmican out of dried meat and berries.
Knowing what indigenous plants to eat and how to find them might be important in times of famine, economic turmoil, or personal money troubles. Mushrooms, for example, are enough like toadstools to be scary, but they are also calorie and nutrient dense and high in protein. Greens growing in lawns or along roads can make a meal for hungry people. California, with its long growing season, is especially rich in edible native plants.
Country folk may search out field cress in the spring or harvest ginseng and goldenseal to sell to herbalists, but most people do no more than pick berries in summer or go clamming off New England shores. California is blessed with many healthful wild plants, like elderberry bushes (elderberry wine is delicious, and syrup made from the berries boosts the immune system)and wild rose hips. The vast majority of people are unaware of the treasures that grow around them.
Others may not think of themselves as foragers, yet they sprinkle nasturtium flowers in their salads or saute day-lily buds at the peak of perfection (when the buds show color but are not yet open). Day-lily buds cooked in butter taste like asparagus. Suburbanites may sugar violet flowers for cake decorations or add a sprig of mint to a glass of iced tea.
Foraging, like any other use of natural resources, requires responsible harvesting. Naturalists already fear that the gourmet craze for ramps might endanger that plant. There are ways to take a little and leave enough behind to sustain the population of valuable plants and animals. This is a very important part of being an educated forager in California and other parts of the country.
Of course, many people are perfectly happy to get their food from supermarkets and restaurants. If they really want fresh, they patronize farmer's markets in their area. However, it's trendy now to cook with foraged ingredients, like purslane or ramps (wild leeks). Others may have grown up eating dandelion salad, wild asparagus, and fish fresh from the pond. They know how fresh really tastes.
Television shows have brought to public attention what had become arcane knowledge - the fact that many native plants are tasty, nutritious, or therapeutic. There is a wealth of great books and, now, online sites dedicated to teaching people how to identify and use plants that grow in cracks of sidewalks, in vacant city lots, or along the highways and by-ways.
Actually, most residents of North America know a little, like the facts that dandelions are edible or that toadstools are poisonous. They may have learned that native Americans made flour out of acorns, ate enough oysters to leave impressive piles of shells, and made pemmican out of dried meat and berries.
Knowing what indigenous plants to eat and how to find them might be important in times of famine, economic turmoil, or personal money troubles. Mushrooms, for example, are enough like toadstools to be scary, but they are also calorie and nutrient dense and high in protein. Greens growing in lawns or along roads can make a meal for hungry people. California, with its long growing season, is especially rich in edible native plants.
Country folk may search out field cress in the spring or harvest ginseng and goldenseal to sell to herbalists, but most people do no more than pick berries in summer or go clamming off New England shores. California is blessed with many healthful wild plants, like elderberry bushes (elderberry wine is delicious, and syrup made from the berries boosts the immune system)and wild rose hips. The vast majority of people are unaware of the treasures that grow around them.
Others may not think of themselves as foragers, yet they sprinkle nasturtium flowers in their salads or saute day-lily buds at the peak of perfection (when the buds show color but are not yet open). Day-lily buds cooked in butter taste like asparagus. Suburbanites may sugar violet flowers for cake decorations or add a sprig of mint to a glass of iced tea.
Foraging, like any other use of natural resources, requires responsible harvesting. Naturalists already fear that the gourmet craze for ramps might endanger that plant. There are ways to take a little and leave enough behind to sustain the population of valuable plants and animals. This is a very important part of being an educated forager in California and other parts of the country.
About the Author:
If you would like to learn more about foraging wild food in CA click this link to The Living Wild Project. For information on ingredients and recipes, visit us today at http://livingwild.org.
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