Wild Edibles: 5 Tips for Beginner Foragers
New to foraging? Here are a few beginner tips to get you started on your hunt for wild edibles!
And next time you are taking a walk around the neighborhood, keep your eyes peeled for these thirteen plants: dandelion, mallow, purslane, plantain, thistle, amaranth, dock, mustard, grass, chickweed, clover, lambsquarter, and knotweed.
The following is an excerpt from The Wild Wisdom of Weeds by Katrina Blair. It has been adapted for the web,
5 Tips for Beginner Foragers
-
Ask for help. Seek the guidance of a local plant expert who can help you identify the subtle differences between various plant species.
-
Stay close to home. The wild plants that grow closest to where you live are the ones best adapted to support your ability to thrive in your current environment. Wild plants are extremely resilient and they help us embody those same qualities of excellence.
-
Be mindful. of where you harvest wild weeds. Use your observation skills to determine if an area may have been sprayed with herbicides or heavily fertilized with chemicals. If a plant is discolored or curls downward in an unnatural way it may best to harvest elsewhere.
-
Start off simple. Look for the common simple plants first that are easy to recognize like dandelions. Dice them up finely and add to your dinner salad along with something sweet like apple slices.
-
A little goes a long way. Wild plants are very potent so it is best to start by ingesting small amounts. Begin by nibbling a taste of a common wild edible plant and slowly introduce it to your body and taste buds.
Recommended Reads
Read The Book
The Wild Wisdom of Weeds
13 Essential Plants for Human Survival
$34.95
You may like...
-
$40.00 -
$29.95
Recent Articles
When you think of pumpkins, do you think of Halloween or a sweet dessert? But how did pumpkins become the holiday staple they are today? Keep reading to learn more about the rich history of this sweet fall edible icon! The following is an excerpt from The Seed Detective by Adam Alexander. It has been adapted…
Read More
“Hannah Lewis describes a gift to a despairing world…There may be no single climate solution that has a greater breadth of benefits than mini-forests…[and] can be done by everyone everywhere.”—Paul Hawken, from the foreword Mini-forests are simple to create, satisfying, and can get us closer to improving our climate and future. Read the foreword by Paul…
Read More
Wondering what to do with pumpkin seeds? Instead of roasting them, try these alternative ways to prepare & use seeds! Plus a must-try pumpkin granola recipe.
Read More
Once considered an undesirable vegetable mainly fed to cattle, kale has evolved over the years to become a powerful superfood!
Read More
You just laid out your blanket & the leaves are turning colors. The only thing that could make your fall picnic even better is if you foraged for the ingredients yourself.
Read More