Foraging For Wild Edible Food (An Unusual Retirement Hobby)

By Cynthia Ross Tustin – October 20th, 2022

Foraging for wild edible food could either be considered an unusual retirement hobby, or an eco-friendly lifestyle. In a recent post, I referred to it as a hobby. Today’s post explores foraging more broadly, provides resources for learning more about it, and I’ll share some examples with you of what I can find locally (my yard).

Take the Quiz First

Before reading more, take this short quiz first and test your current knowledge of foraging for edible wild food.

Well, how did you do? Expert? Total newb? Let’s start with the basics of foraging wild edible food.

Wild Edible Food Defined

Human beings have been foraging and living off native edible plants for millennia. It’s only recently that we realized that we’ve lost a vital skill. But that skill is experiencing a bit of a revival in recent years.

I consider it a hobby because it’s something I like to do when I’m out walking on our property here in Ontario. It’s an adjunct to my hobby of hiking, kind of like dinner and a show. The only time I go out and specifically “forage” is when certain wild mushrooms are in season, and when ramps and fiddleheads are in season.

Foraging is the act of searching, identifying, and collecting food resources in the wild. But don’t let the word “wild” mislead you. Wild doesn’t mean “wilderness”. Wild means occurred on their own, not purposely planted. And wild food can easily be found in cities and urban areas.

Foraging in an Urban Setting

Urban settings often have the same wild edible plants that rural areas do, they just have less visibly green spaces. If you live in town and can’t get out to the “boonies” try taking a class through your local library or parks authority.

If you live in a large city, like Toronto or Ottawa, urban foraging is frequently part of local Jane’s Walk Campaigns. Jane’s Walks are volunteer-led neighbourhood walking tours in honour of the late Jane Jacobs.

Youtube is always brilliant for a bit of instructional info. Try this chap from the UK. This is part one of an Urban Foraging Series that he posted back in September.

Foraging in a Rural Setting

Rural foraging seems to feel more natural. Or at least closer to what we presume to be more natural. Speaking from an Ontario perspective, edible native plants are absolutely everywhere. And like urban foraging, the real key is recognizing them.

Edible Wild Bushcraft lists 88 kinds of Lunchable plants. And the Ontario Wildflowers site lists almost as many.

Those of us blessed with country property can walk out the back door and find things to add to a meal. The plants you forage don’t have to be the entire meal. A quick trip out to “the back forty” at our place is where I go to get wild garlic to add to marinades. My point is, you don’t need to forage and eat all 88 of the plants.

What Learning Resources Are Available?

In addition to the two websites listed above as resources. Let me also add Karen Stephenson. I interviewed her last year after my husband ran over a gorgeous patch of Morel Mushrooms. She’s a huge inspiration and singularly, one of the most knowledgeable experts out there.

The post from last year was called Searching for Wild Edible Food: I’m Not Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse. Was a big hit, thanks to Karen! She’s the author of several books and videos and hosts the website Edible Wild Food.

You can also try an online course from Udemy, taught by Elizabeth Heck called, “Herbalism: Wild Edible Plants for High Nutrition.”

What Are the Pros & Cons of Foraging?

Andreas at the blog site Environmental Conscience developed and created this list of pros and cons for food foraging. He deserves all the credit. He doesn’t write specifically about foraging, he’s an environmentalist, with a Master’s Degree in Economics, who’s trying to educate people about specific environmental problems and the solutions…like food insufficiency.

What Tools Are Required?

This really isn’t a high-tech endeavour. A basket, a comfortable pair of terrain-appropriate shoes or boots, pruners, gloves, and maybe a small trowel, axe, or knife.

If you’re new to foraging, I’d recommend either a field guidebook or a phone app that identifies plants.

Try one of these apps:

👀 1. Wild Edibles Lite By WinterRoot LLC and Wildman Steve Brill
👀 2. Edible and Medicinal Plants By Government Conspiracy
👀 3. Foraging Flashcard Lite By WinterRoot LLC and Wildman Steve Brill
👀 4. Foragers Guide To Plant Identification by SnapPlant

I also recommend that you carry a small journal for documenting the date and location of your wild edible food find.

Foraging For Wild Edible Food in Ontario

Every wild plant in this section grows on our property. There are many more, but not ones I would routinely eat. Furthermore, certain plants don’t always come back year after year…or after my husband mows them down. The Morel Mushrooms weren’t seen this year.

Puffballs

Safety with Wild Edible Plants

Granted, this may seem obvious, but I’m hyper-safety conscious.

only what’s known to be safe

Finding edible plants is a hoot, but eating the wrong thing could turn you off foraging…maybe permanently. If you aren’t certain that the plant is edible (especially mushrooms), don’t eat it. Pick it, set it separate from your other plants, and confirm it later.

If you have no way to confirm, don’t pick it all. Further, keep in mind that some parts of an edible plant may not be, well, edible. Cattails, for example, the new shoots and roots…edible. The long dark green leaves and the brown flower…sooooo not edible!

forage for wild edible plants in safe areas

Foraging in a safe area means several things, like don’t trespass – you could get shot. Extreme, but possible. Although the more likely scenario is that the property owner calls the police.

Safety extends to the terrain you’re walking on or in. Foraging can take you to all sorts of places. If you’re not a mountain goat, you may wish to avoid high rocky areas. If you wouldn’t hike it, don’t forage on it.

In rural areas, be mindful of what’s around you, like snakes, spiders, and stinging bugs if you’re digging roots or moving rotten logs. And, speaking from experience, farm meadows aren’t always idyllic if it’s the home of a bull, mule, or a mean guard dog.

Be careful foraging along roadsides and in ditches as these are often sprayed with chemicals. Areas protected

Stewardship is essential

It’s okay to be needy, but don’t be greedy. In other words, don’t over-harvest. Harvest Ontario, in their best practices, a guide called, Harvesting and Processing Edible Wild Plants recommends that you could harvest between 5 – 25% of a plant patch. Plants like Ramps (wild leeks) take seven years to produce seeds, so it’s very easy to overharvest.

Be respectful, and take only what you’re going to use.

Conservation areas are all about good stewardship. So if you’re foraging there, chances are good that you won’t be allowed to harvest anything. Most have strict “don’t pick the plant” rules. Always check first.

Positively Proper Preparation

Aside from a very thorough cleaning and washing of the plants, how you prepare your harvest can be equally important. This is also why native plant guides are extremely handy. Use them to understand which foods can be eaten raw or only cooked. Some may only be edible when dried.

Try Out First in a small batch

Just because it’s edible, doesn’t mean you and your stomach will like it. Or, as with grocery store foods, you could be allergic. If you’ve never eaten wild leeks, try preparing and eating a small portion. Or, try the plant as a seasoning before you eat it as a side dish.

Seasonality

What’s in season? Experience and some research will make you a capable forager, no matter the season. Although in fairness, I don’t even like going outside for a trip to the grocery store, let alone forage for wild food, in January.

If your diet, and your pantry, depend on access to wild food to keep your family fed, then freezing, canning, pickling and drying are your best options.

Recipes

Recipes for wild edible food are popular and abundant these days through apps, books, and the world wide web. Including wild foods is super-trendy these days and many gourmet chefs are using them and posting their recipes. I’m no trendy chef, but my Wild Garlic Pesto is pretty tasty, especially when served over warm cream cheese. Click below if you want me to send you a copy of the recipe and post updates.

Click here

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the recipe! Please feel free to share the post with friends and family.
Cheers,
Cynthia
Author, I’m Thinking of Retiring