Foraging: The World of Wild Edible Food

Elderberry, Sassafrass, and Dandelion; not your usual line-up for a summer salad, but all strong choices in the world of wild edible plants.  Foraging for food is no longer a part of day-to-day living for most of us; most of us count on stores, or perhaps farm-fresh produce, to get our daily fare. However, the skills involved in hunting, fishing, and discovering edible wild plants date back thousands of years. On your next camping or hiking trip, see if you have what it takes to learn about your environment, and seek out the following ideas and suggestions to forage for edible wild plants. You will be surprised at what is available, and you just may strike up the courage to cook a meal!

Self-reliance activities can take many forms, and provide a wonderful opportunity to hone in our skills, use our common sense, and pick up some key skills and independent-thinking skills to solve problems. Some of us may turn to camping, hiking, or fishing to reconnect with nature; others may turn to growing food, cultivating plants, or cooking to enhance our natural abilities. Whatever your choice may be, learning about your environment has been one of man’s natural purposes from the dawn of time. It has helped to draw from inner resources and test mental skill, agility, and flexibility.  Finding wild but edible food is a skill, and many of our ancestors shared their knowledge and experience of foraging for the purpose of finding the key nutrients needed for survival.  When survival of the fittest truly is about staying one step ahead, knowing what plants and wild flowers are edible does not always need to be trial and error!