conscious eating


Wild Edibles. Foraging experts say the fear of wild plants is largely unfounded. “T e biggest misconception is that we are experimenting with unknowns,” says Kallas. “Today’s wild edibles are traditional foods from Native American or European cultures we have lost touch with.” For example, European settlers


brought with them dandelions, now considered a nuisance weed, as a source of food and medicine. All parts of it are edible, including fl owers, roots and leaves, and have nutritional superpowers. To assess a plant, Kallas adds, a


Wild and Wonderful T


Foraging for Foodies by April Thompson


here is such a thing as a free lunch, and it awaits adventur-


ous foragers in backyards, city parks, mountain meadows and even side- walk cracks. From nutri- tious weeds and juicy ber- ries to delicate, delicious fl owers and refreshing tree sap, wild, edible foods abound in cities, suburbia and rural environments. T roughout most of


Wild plants, because they must take care of themselves, tend to be more nutritious than cultivated plants—particularly in terms of


phytochemicals and antioxidants.


~Deane Jordan


history, humans were foragers that relied on local plant knowledge for survival, as both food and medicine. Today’s foragers are reviving that ancestral tradition to improve diets, explore new fl avors, develop kinship with the environment, and simply indulge in the joy and excitement of fi nding and preparing wild foods.


Wild Foods As ‘Superdiet’ “T ere are many benefi ts to eating wild food,” says Deane Jordan, founder of EatT eWeeds. com, of Orlando, Florida. “Wild plants, because they must take care of themselves, tend to be more nutritious than cultivated


30 Greater Oklahoma/OKC Edition


plants—particularly in terms of phytochemicals and antioxidants. T ey also tend to be lower in sugar and other simple carbs, and higher in fi ber.” Purslane, a wild


succulent, has more omega-3s than any other leafy vegetable, says John Kallas, the Port- land, Oregon, author of Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate.


Mustard garlic, a common invasive plant, is the most nutritious leafy green ever analyzed, says Kallas, who holds a Ph.D. in nutrition. “However, the real dietary benefi t of foraged plants is in their great diversity, as each has a unique profi le of phytochemicals. T ere is no such thing as a superfood, just superdiets,” he adds.


Know T y Plant Rule number one of foraging is to be 100 percent sure of your identifi cation 100 percent of the time, says Leda Meredith, the New York City author of T e Forager’s Feast: How to Identify, Gather, and Prepare


NaturalAwakeningsOKC.com


forager must know three things about it: the part or parts that are edible, the stage of growth to gather it and how to prepare it. “Some plants have parts that are both edible and poisonous. Others can be toxic raw, but perfectly edible cooked,” he says. Timing is everything, adds Meredith.


“A wild ingredient can be fantastic in one week, and incredibly bitter a week later, so it’s important to know when its prime season is.” Kallas recommends staying away


from highly traffi cked roadsides and pol- luted areas. Given that many lawns and public areas are sprayed with herbicides, Sam T ayer, author of T e Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Pre- paring Edible Wild Plants, recommends not foraging in an area if it’s uncertain whether chemicals have been applied. Environmental awareness includes


understanding how foraging may positively or negatively aff ect the ecosystem, says Meredith. “Overharvesting can endanger future populations. But there is a ‘win-win’ way to forage, where I get fantastic food and the landscape is better for my having foraged, by clearing invasive plants around natives or planting seeds while collecting a local plant gone to seed.” T ayer, of Bruce, Wisconsin, suggests


collecting where species are abundant and thriving: “Fruit, for example, can be har- vested limitlessly, as can wild invasives that disrupt the balance of the ecosystem and crowd out native species.”


Meal Preparation Vinegars, jams and cordials from wild fruits and fl owers can be wonderful, but


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