TOYOTA CONNECT
“PEOPLE WILL BECOME MORE RESPECTFUL TOWARDS FOOD AS THEY OBSERVE ITS REAL EVOLUTION.”
he experienced forager avoids rare plants and only collects the part of a plant that will be used, proof that sustainability is the
foundation on which the foraging movement is built. In searching for wild food resources, often on our doorstep, they enjoy the bonus of experiencing nature and connecting with the way our forebears ferreted for their food. Chris Erasmus, adventurous owner and highly acclaimed chef of Foliage Restaurant in Franschhoek, has led the way in using edible plants for refined dining. If you’re looking for him, you’ll need to scour the mountains nearby. He takes his team foraging twice daily, leaves his well-worn wellies at the door of the restaurant and then prepares that day’s journey on a plate for guests. Sometimes they travel to Elgin or Stellenbosch for different scenery, but mostly they stick to local terroir. If one of the team is in Cape Town on their day off, they may pick some beach herbs. When asked about foraging as a
trend, Erasmus’s response is instant: “Is it trendy? I thought just the beards were in at the moment! For us, it’s the base of everything we do and how the seasons tell us to cook. Isn’t that how it works? Make friends with your local friendly botanists and gardeners. Surround yourself with people you can learn from and never guess.”
The menu at Foliage is determined
by the day’s pickings, dependent on the weather and the amount of rain. “In autumn, it’s mushrooms galore. In winter, it’s watercress, sorrel, mushrooms and ferns. Every season has its gifts. Find water and you’ll find life,” claims Erasmus. It’s not just those living in the
country who practise foraging. The Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront offers a city forage, an authentic and customised opportunity to experience the Cape’s natural outdoors, with chef Jocelyn Myers-Adams and experienced forager Charles Standing. Myers-Adams grew up on a farm
and learnt to look at the land when walking, rather than at her feet. Working with Standing as her mentor, she still consults him or Erasmus when collecting fungi. She believes Mother Nature is generous with her knowledge and often indicates what you should avoid, like a milky bleed. She urges caution. “I may be OK in
Canada where I grew up, but here it’s best to check,” she says. “I’d like to see more people developing a holistic sense of what they eat. Realistically, that will take time. People will become more respectful towards food as they observe its real evolution. We need an awareness of what the climate can render and to cut down on our carbon footprint. When people start planting more to feed their own households, food will become more sustainable.”
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The team at the Table Bay, in spite of their urban environment, forage daily and the menu’s greatly influenced by what’s growing close by. Num-nums add interest to their signature pork belly dish, while dune spinach from Sea Point is the hero, with its meaty texture and flavour reminiscent of the sea. “Our young chefs are especially keen. I like to get them out of the kitchen so that they can see where the food comes from. That inspires them,” says Myers-Adams. Gary Goldman, aka “the Mushroom
Fundi”, knew nothing when he started foraging fungi 15 years ago in Newlands Forest. He scoured libraries and second-hand bookstores for literature and accumulated over 100 books, which he uses as references. Currently writing a book which will focus on 280 species (double those in any other book written in SA), he’s constantly broadening his base as new strains are discovered annually. Goldman has personally eaten 29 species from the Table Mountain National Park alone. “It’s not rocket science: mushrooms are easier to identify than flowers and only a handful are poisonous. In the Western Cape, any mushroom with pores under its cap (ie, one that looks like a sponge) instead of gills is edible. Watch the squirrels, because they chew delectable mushrooms. “Foraging isn’t a trend – it’s a
movement that’s here to stay,” he says.
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