People used to live on what they could get from the land around them. Even after farming became routine, they depended on hunting, fishing, and gathering roots, nuts, berries, and greens. Foraging wild food in CA and other areas is no longer a necessity for most, but more and more people want to learn how it's done.
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.
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.
Obviously, this knowledge may be important someday if the economy collapses and supermarket shelves are empty. Mushrooms are a valuable source of protein and other nutrients, so it would be too bad to be starving and afraid to eat them. Especially in California's long growing season, knowing how to identify dandelions, plantain, and watercress would be very helpful.
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.
There are many books and online sites that are designed to help people learn about edible plants and animals. Photos and drawings help with identification. Even affluent people are picking violets to sugar for cake decorations, adding mint to iced tea, and adding flowers and buds to their salads. Recipes range from sauteed day lily buds to making flour from any of the sixty kinds of acorns found in North America.
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.
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.
Obviously, this knowledge may be important someday if the economy collapses and supermarket shelves are empty. Mushrooms are a valuable source of protein and other nutrients, so it would be too bad to be starving and afraid to eat them. Especially in California's long growing season, knowing how to identify dandelions, plantain, and watercress would be very helpful.
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.
There are many books and online sites that are designed to help people learn about edible plants and animals. Photos and drawings help with identification. Even affluent people are picking violets to sugar for cake decorations, adding mint to iced tea, and adding flowers and buds to their salads. Recipes range from sauteed day lily buds to making flour from any of the sixty kinds of acorns found in North America.
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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You can visit livingwild.org for more helpful information about Foraging Wild Food In CA.
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