Joyous Vegan Foraging: Wild Delicacies and How to Get started

“Leafy greens are the most nutritionally dense foods that we have. The analyses that we have tell us that wild foods tend to be about doubly as nutritionally dense as comparable produce items that are cultivated.”

The book “Native American Ethnobotany” by American medical anthropologist and ethnobotanist Dr. Daniel E. Moerman is a unique work that consolidates knowledge on over 4,000 wild plants traditionally used by various Native North American peoples. Historically, they consumed over 1,800 wild edibles annually and used thousands of other wild plants for various purposes such as medicine and fiber. Ironically, today, consumers in the US and Canada typically choose from just 20-30 vegetable and fruit types sold in markets, as noted in Michael Pollan’s book “The Botany of Desire.”

“Within walking distance of my house, I pick more than 170 species of leafy green vegetables that our family eats. You couldn’t find 170 species combined in all the grocery stores in this state put together.” Samuel shares such a wild edible example, the black locust flower, one of his favorites. “You have to get it when the flowers are just opening up. You can be disappointed if you collect them too late.” “Wild foods get elevated to this gourmet status, like morels, wild rice and maple syrup. Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Learning to forage is like making friends; you do it one at a time. The only way to do this rationally and safely, and reasonably is one plant at a time. If you learn 5 plants a year, in 10 years, you’ve got 50 plants. That’s a lot.”

Tip 1 – Enjoy numerous free online vegan foraging videos that you can find by searching keywords like vegan foraging, etc.

Tip 4 – Start foraging in your backyard. Looking for wild edibles can be simple and enjoyable. Just step outside into your backyard or the surrounding area where you live while being mindful of harvesting only from clean areas where the soil is healthy, and nothing has been sprayed on the plants. Please be sure to only forage on land where it is legal to enter and conduct this activity.

Introduce wild vegan edibles to your diet gradually. Unlike familiar produce, wild edibles can have unique, sometimes sour or bitter tastes that aid digestion and benefit inner organs. Start with small amounts and increase intake as your taste buds adjust. You could also spread wild edible plants in the desired area of your garden.