Foraging for food has been practiced by humans long before we discovered the ability to hunt or raise animals for food. The ancient ability of foraging is still practiced, by varying degrees, by many people all over the world. The greater the necessity, the more honed the skills. Many people in Africa, for example, are very tuned into what can be gathered from nature, while here in the U.S. I imagine some would have to look up the definition of foraging. Foraging is very familiar to Freegans, and I would be remiss to not mention hunting, fishing and dumpster diving as other forms of foraging for food.
One of my favorite edibles to forage for in the spring are morel mushrooms; in the summer I will seek out wild strawberries and mulberries and in the fall it’s apples. One way to forage is just to take a walk in the woods or along a stream or river, not looking for anything in particular, just whatever presents itself. Before you get out into the field looking for food it pays to know what you may and may not harvest. My experience has been that foraging on city and county owned land is generally accepted while state and federal parks usually prohibit it.
A temperate climate will, of course, produce a wide variety of options to choose from during the different seasons, but even constantly arid or wet regions will produce pickings.
Foraging can serve as a free supplement to both your grocery budget and your exercise regime. The joy of connecting with nature and enjoying its fresh bounty can be even more rewarding than any monetary savings.
There are a variety of resources available to either get you started or to help hone your skills.
Mother Earth News offers many good articles on the subject, including Foraging for Edible Wild Plants: A Field Guide to Wild Berries and this one on Tame Foraging.
“Wildman” Steve Brill offers an extensive wild plant guide and a recipe section on his site.
Books include:
The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons
Related reading:
How to Save Money by Salvaging
10 Tips on Finding The Great Morel
Does Fishing Save You Money?
One of my favorite edibles to forage for in the spring are morel mushrooms; in the summer I will seek out wild strawberries and mulberries and in the fall it’s apples. One way to forage is just to take a walk in the woods or along a stream or river, not looking for anything in particular, just whatever presents itself. Before you get out into the field looking for food it pays to know what you may and may not harvest. My experience has been that foraging on city and county owned land is generally accepted while state and federal parks usually prohibit it.
A temperate climate will, of course, produce a wide variety of options to choose from during the different seasons, but even constantly arid or wet regions will produce pickings.
Foraging can serve as a free supplement to both your grocery budget and your exercise regime. The joy of connecting with nature and enjoying its fresh bounty can be even more rewarding than any monetary savings.
There are a variety of resources available to either get you started or to help hone your skills.
Mother Earth News offers many good articles on the subject, including Foraging for Edible Wild Plants: A Field Guide to Wild Berries and this one on Tame Foraging.
“Wildman” Steve Brill offers an extensive wild plant guide and a recipe section on his site.
Books include:
The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons
Related reading:
How to Save Money by Salvaging
10 Tips on Finding The Great Morel
Does Fishing Save You Money?
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