FORAGING
Over the last few years I’ve read several blogs or articles about foraging. As people become more aware that how their bodies feel depends greatly upon the nutrition of the food they eat, more of us are looking for fresher, healthier alternatives to what we can find at the store. Plus, it’s an adventure in providing for food needs outside the grocery.
One type of foraging that many people are familiar with is mushroom hunting. Because there are so many poisonous mushrooms, we must be sure to hunt mushrooms with an experienced, knowledgeable person, to be sure we don’t pick or eat anything harmful. But more and more discussions out there are about foraging for beneficial herbs or other fruits and edible plants.
In foraging, you may find edible plants in your yard, if you have one. Or you may be able to find wild roadside areas with edible plants to grow. But wherever you plan to forage, in addition to making sure no chemical pesticides or herbicides have been sprayed on the area, PLEASE, PLEASE get permission from the property owner. Some of the foraging I have done was on neighboring properties, but ALWAYS with the permission of the owner!
Years ago, my grandmother taught me what wild blackberry and black raspberry canes look like. She had much experience foraging for them as a child, both to help feed her family, and after her mother canned enough for the winter, Grandma & her siblings could sell any other berries they picked for a little spending money.
Herbalists are becoming more common and learning the old art of healing through herbs. In some articles I’ve read, many plants we consider weeds in our lawns and flower beds have beneficial properties to them- even if it’s just a fresh source of vitamins and minerals. Many people like the taste of dandelion greens in their salad. And the yellow flowers of dandelions are also edible. In untreated lawns, dandelions can be very plenteous!
A few years ago, my father-in-law commented on the chickweed that was beginning to grow in my lawn. I wasn’t familiar with this weed; it seems to grow in early spring, but not so much in the heat of summer. Last year, after reading an article about the benefits of chickweed, plantain and one other herb I don’t remember, I tried pinching pieces off when I noticed them in the yard and munched on them. They didn’t taste bad- green and salad-y. I’ve also read that the shoots and leaves of hostas are edible and are commonly eaten in Japan and other places in the orient. They tasted reminiscent of asparagus & lettuce to me. Which, I guess are all growing this time of year.
Some parks may allow foraging, but many do not allow the collecting or removing of any plant matter. So be sure to find out what your local parks allow & get permission before foraging.
The next thing to do is to know what you’re looking for! Many edible plants have poisonous look-a-likes. So, study field guides, take a class, and do your due diligence to be sure you can tell the difference between the safe and the poisonous. My favorite thing to forage is for berries and fruit!
When you decide on the plant you’d like to forage for, it’s good to recognize it in all or at least several of its stages of growth. For example, when looking for nut or fruit trees, learn to recognize the typical shape the tree grows in (is it free form, vase shaped, spherically shaped, conically shaped?). Then you can watch for signs of them in winter or like now, in early spring and keep an eye on them as they progress through flowering and producing fruit. When foraging for herbs, learn what their sprouts look like when they first push through the ground, so you don’t accidentally weed them.
Leafy herbs and plants can be added to green salads or make your whole salad out of them. Also, flowers can be added to salads to make them more beautiful. I also like to candy flower petals & small flowers such as violets, rose petals, lilacs, lavender and French marigolds. The miniature French marigolds taste citrusy.
There are many recipes online for ways to use flowers. Herbs and other green plants are often used in herbal remedies, salves and lotions.
Some of the things I’ve foraged or grown myself are:
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PLANT/FRUIT TASTES LIKE
Pawpaw Mildly banana with other light fruit flavors
Plantain Lettuce-y, green, grassy
Dandelion leaves Bitter herb
Violets Light floral, makes delicious jam/jelly or syrup
Roses Floral, (whatever the scent of the flower is what the taste
will be) great fresh in salad or candied to decorate deserts
Chickweed Green, lettuce-y
Wild Blackberries Rich deep berry flavor
Wild Blk Raspberries Deep, rich berry flavor- seedier than blackberries
Hosta leaves Cross between lettuce & asparagus
Tulip petals Fresh lettuce
Lavender Just like it smells
Lilac Lovely floral like they smell.
Nasturtium Peppery
Apple/crabapple blossoms Lightly lettuce-y. Some with scent may have more flavor
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So, get out there, and try some fresh foods that may be hiding in your yard!