Hi Everyone! This week, let’s talk about foraging. This is a relatively new passion for me and my family, but my interest in finding edible and medicinal plants started in childhood. In this video I talk about:
- How I got started with foraging, and how you can, too!
- My recommended resources.
- How to avoid poisoning yourself and your family. (Important!)
- Our favorite wild edibles, and how we like to prepare them
Here’s the video.
Do you forage in your area? What do you most often pick? If you don’t, what is the main thing that keeps you from doing so?
Here are the books I mentioned in the video:
- Thrifty Forager by Alys Fowler
- Foraging and Feasting by Dina Falconi
- Food for Free by Richard Mabey
- One more that looks like fun: Dandelion Hunter: Foraging the Urban Wilderness by Rebecca Lerner
Here are some of my favorite foraging posts:
- Rethinking Weeds
- Foraging for Nettles: It’s Fun, I promise!
- 15 Edible Plants to Forage in Your Own Backyard
- A Foraging Walk in April
- Fungi Foray! An Edible Woodland Adventure
- In Autumn, The Magic Comes Easily
Here are some of my favorite recipes for using foraged finds:
- Making Wild Nettles Beer
- What to Do with Stinging Nettles
- Creamy Stinging Nettles Dip with Roasted Garlic & Mint
- How I Made Wild Blackberry Cider
- Let’s Make Fermented Blackberry Soda!
- Let’s Make Elderflower Soda!
- Making Elderberry Winter Tonic
- Making Elderberry Wine
- What to Do with a Bounty of Cherries (Even the Pits!)
I’d love to hear if there are certain plants you’d like to see more recipes for, or if there is a way I can help you more with foraging. I’m all ears!
Melinda says
Wonderful video, thank you so much! Very informative. I can’t wait to get started (in North Texas).
ariana says
That’s great, Melinda! Can’t wait to hear what you find in your area!
Susan Gaines says
Loved watching the video, Ariana. I chuckled at the idea of foraging for something edible here in southern CA; it would have to grow up through the cracks in the sidewalk. Actually, I’ll bet there are places one could forage. The tastiest most flavorful mushroom I ever ate was picked from my lawn in Sacramento, CA. My mom used to forage for mushrooms in the fields and knew what was safe & what was not. She’s gone now but I’ve always envied her ability to feel secure in her foraging. You’re doing a good job of inspiring others to check it out and educate themselves.
ariana says
It makes me happy to hear that your mom foraged mushrooms. I think it’s a dying art, and one I hope will be revived. So many cool foods out there, just being ignored. In Italy, I’ve read, you can bring your haul of mushrooms to the local farmacy and they will identify the edibles for you. Doesn’t that sound incredible?
Susan Gaines says
P.S. I can see you being a tour guide through various places you’ve visited, and Amelia leading foraging walks through the English countryside to tourists.
ariana says
Wouldn’t that be a wonderful family business!!
Hilda says
I thoroughly agree with your approach to foraging – the benefits and the need for caution. Thanks for the tips on resources.
ariana says
You are very welcome, Hilda!
Laurel says
Hi Ariana – Great video, as usual. I’ve been foraging since the mid 1970’s when Euell Gibbons made it fashionable. He published several books back then and I’ve got two or three of them. He was my first inspiration. This year we’ve tried Japanese Knotweed for the first time, which is in the rhubarb family and hence sour, and redbud blossoms which are also sour, but would probably make a pretty tincture. Also tried poke for the first time. We grow our own elderberries here, but there are tons and tons of wild ones around and they are blooming right now. We’ve been making elderberry cordial for several years and it really does help with colds and flu. When I feel a cold coming on I take a few spoonfuls of elderberry cordial every few hours and sometimes the cold never develops, yay! The tricky part is getting to the ripe berries before the birds do. Laurel in East TN
ariana says
Hi Laurel! How nice to hear about all of the wild foods you are able to use in your area. I hadn’t heard of Euell Gibbons– will go look him up. I think it’s great to start young– you have your whole life to notice plants and learn about them, and the amount of information you can collect is pretty amazing.