Gathering edible plants and animals from the great outdoors is nothing new. It was once the way of life for all creatures on earth, including humans. This method of getting breakfast, lunch, and dinner may seem strange to residents of North America today who shop at supermarkets and eat at restaurants. However, interest in foraging wild food in CA and other states is growing.
People may wonder why anyone would go out and look for something to eat outdoors when supermarkets are handy and, for those who want fresh, farmer's markets are common. Well, there are many reasons. One might be to find an ingredient for a gourmet dish. Another might be for the romance of it all; this occupation is getting trendy. Or, maybe the forager is hungry, has no money, and is looking for dinner.
Recently, television and survival websites have brought this food source back to the public's attention. It used to be knowledge found only in magazines like 'Mother Earth News' or in out-of-print books - or learned from grandparents. The fact is that many indigenous plants, even ones that grow in the cracks of sidewalks or vacant city lots, are tasty, nutritious, and even therapeutic.
People learn in school that Native Americans made flour out of acorns and taught Europeans how to find and eat oysters. They made pemmican out of roots, berries, and animal fat to carry for food on long journeys. Most adults know that toadstools may look like mushrooms but are poisonous, and that dandelion greens are edible.
This knowledge may be important someday in a time of famine. In that case, it will be helpful to know a mushroom from a toadstool. Mushrooms are valuable foods, with a taste that mimics meat and a high protein content. Making a salad of plantain, dandelion greens, watercress from a stream, and a few edible mushrooms can be lunch for a hungry person. In warm places like California, with long growing seasons, foraging is easier.
There are lots of old favorites, like field cress, watercress, and cattails. Dandelion greens, lamb's quarters, plantain, and wild onions are other familiar foods. Berries, nuts, and honey from the hive are natural delicacies. Ginseng, goldenseal, native mints, rose hips, and elderberries have medicinal properties, another thing that might be good to know.
However, even those who never think of the word 'foraging' may garnish their ice tea with a sprig of wild mint or crystallize violets for cake decorations. Some may harvest day lily buds, saute them in butter, and enjoy them as much as cultivated asparagus. Others may know that plantain from the yard is sure to please their guinea pigs.
Fine restaurants are featuring ramps, purslane, and other wild foods on their menus. This brings up another aspect of foraging - responsible harvesting in order to preserve native populations of plants. Learning all the aspects of this time-honored pursuit is important for many reasons.
People may wonder why anyone would go out and look for something to eat outdoors when supermarkets are handy and, for those who want fresh, farmer's markets are common. Well, there are many reasons. One might be to find an ingredient for a gourmet dish. Another might be for the romance of it all; this occupation is getting trendy. Or, maybe the forager is hungry, has no money, and is looking for dinner.
Recently, television and survival websites have brought this food source back to the public's attention. It used to be knowledge found only in magazines like 'Mother Earth News' or in out-of-print books - or learned from grandparents. The fact is that many indigenous plants, even ones that grow in the cracks of sidewalks or vacant city lots, are tasty, nutritious, and even therapeutic.
People learn in school that Native Americans made flour out of acorns and taught Europeans how to find and eat oysters. They made pemmican out of roots, berries, and animal fat to carry for food on long journeys. Most adults know that toadstools may look like mushrooms but are poisonous, and that dandelion greens are edible.
This knowledge may be important someday in a time of famine. In that case, it will be helpful to know a mushroom from a toadstool. Mushrooms are valuable foods, with a taste that mimics meat and a high protein content. Making a salad of plantain, dandelion greens, watercress from a stream, and a few edible mushrooms can be lunch for a hungry person. In warm places like California, with long growing seasons, foraging is easier.
There are lots of old favorites, like field cress, watercress, and cattails. Dandelion greens, lamb's quarters, plantain, and wild onions are other familiar foods. Berries, nuts, and honey from the hive are natural delicacies. Ginseng, goldenseal, native mints, rose hips, and elderberries have medicinal properties, another thing that might be good to know.
However, even those who never think of the word 'foraging' may garnish their ice tea with a sprig of wild mint or crystallize violets for cake decorations. Some may harvest day lily buds, saute them in butter, and enjoy them as much as cultivated asparagus. Others may know that plantain from the yard is sure to please their guinea pigs.
Fine restaurants are featuring ramps, purslane, and other wild foods on their menus. This brings up another aspect of foraging - responsible harvesting in order to preserve native populations of plants. Learning all the aspects of this time-honored pursuit is important for many reasons.
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