Yesterday I stopped and picked blackberries and miner's lettuce for lunch. Both grow wild around here -- alongside suburban streets and city highways, through cracks in alleyways, etc. When people think of foraging, they usually think of being in a forest, near woods, or out in a rural area. But there are many ways to forage for food in and around cities and suburbs too. There's growing stuff on both public and private land, and an amazing amount of perfectly good food is thrown out -- much of it directly, by grocery stores. There are plenty of weeds that are not only edible but delicious, and they can add a substantial amount of nutrition to a simple, frugal diet that might otherwise be too carb-heavy. There are several general pinciples that hold true when you're foraging in the city: learn what plants are edible and what look-alikes are poisonous. Learn where the best fruit trees are neglected/or vegetable gardens gone to pot, and introduce yourself to the gardener or homeowner, asking for permission to pick from the fruit trees (gardens). Some sites recommend also looking for fungi -- there are several delicious mushroom species, but mis-identifying them can be deadly., I don't recommend picking mushrooms unless you are with an expert or are one yourself. Foraging for easily identifiable weeds is fun. Dandelions can be eaten in several seasons -- spring leaves make a salad green with a kick, while summer leaves can be stir fried. In fall and winter, roots can be harvested and roasted to add to coffee, or make a tea of your own. But living plants are only one item that can be hunted down. In a city, a LOT of food is thrown away. I mean, a lot! In the US, 40% of food doesn't even make it to the table -- it just goes to landfill. A family of four throws away $1,345 to $2,275 of food each year, according to the National Resources Defense Council. It's just starting to be a topic on the plate of big city governments -- how to avoid food waste. So there are initiatives under way to get food onto the tables of hungry tables. One way to get some of this food is to ask for it. If you're short of money and need food to get through the month, a local food bank can be a great way to get through a crisis. You can always volunteer or donate later if you feel awkward about it. But another way is to go dumpster diving. Dumpster diving isn't for everyone, and there are whole sites about how to do it safely. It's astounding what gets thrown away. While most of the major chains have resorted to locking their waste bins, one can sometimes scout out an understanding local restaurant owner or manager who can be of big help. We have a local pizza joint, for example, that throws away any mistakenly-ordered or rejected or not-picked-up pizza. It seems to happen a lot, as the dumpster can have several whole pizzas in it on any given day. While admittedly, it can be disgusting to root about in garbage, this restaurant stacks its uneaten pizzas covered in boxes in a single corner in the dumpster. As long as you are discrete and don't make a mess or a scene, you can find and collect a pizza for your day's meals. Dumpster diving laws vary from locale to locale, so it's as important to be aware of what they are as it is to be able to identify your local weeds if you're interested in collecting food. There are also important etiquette and safety tips involved. I recommend Rob Greenfield's excellent site for more information. Lastly there is the idea of foraging in your own kitchen. That's what I've done a lot of this month, and I plan to do more. A couple of years ago, we bought 25 lbs of bulgar wheat and we never got it all ground or cooked. Inventory what you have on hand. You might surprise yourself with how many days you can survive what's in your cupboards, fridge, pantry and (in our case) garage.
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ArchivesAuthorVirginia Lore enjoys living life as an experiment and frequently steps out of her comfort zone -- when she's not hiding out in her room with the covers over her head that is. You may email her: [email protected] |