Wild Feast
By Jennifer Oladipo
Wild Feast photo gallery
Although it’s my first hike of the spring, I’m moving slower than a snail along the trails, toting a small library of books. This hike is about more than working out and enjoying nature. Today, I’m in search of a wild feast.
“There are actually tons of wild edibles,” says Laurie Davis, director of the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort, KY, part of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. She says having fun while getting fed in this bioregion is easy if you remember some simple rules.
Come prepared. With several different books for cross-referencing (see below), a knife and bag for collecting, a keen eye and your adventurous spirit, you’re ready to forage.
Know the law. Check with the state’s nature preserves commission to find out what plants are endangered, rare, or threatened species before you head out. Collecting is illegal in most state parks, and national forests can require a permit, but private property nearby likely has the same species. Since you’re often looking for weeds, many property owners will allow you to forage on their land if you ask first.
Be considerate. You’re going to leave a trace no matter how cautious you are. For instance, collecting Solomon’s seal root means killing the plant. The common rule that you should take less than 25 percent of a species population should be tempered with the understanding that you’re not the only person foraging. More importantly, animals that live near these plants depend on them, too.
Keep safe. Don’t forget to keep your health in mind. Pay attention to where you’re harvesting. What’s uphill or upstream? How close is current or past industrial activity? Laurie cautions foragers against collecting near a straight pipe where people flush grey water, or collecting near parking lots and busy roads. “If you’ve got a relative or a friend that lives out in the country, old pastures are great,” she says.
Target invasive species. “A lot of (wild edibles) are actually exotic species, and I encourage people to go and search for those because they take over,” Laurie says. That’s great news for hungry campers. Edible exotics she suggests include garlic mustard, which you can use to make a great pesto. It grows year round but becomes bitter after June. Watercress, another exotic invasive, forms big mats that choke out other plants but also make it easy to find. Daisies seem innocuous, but they are invasive. Lucky for us, they’re also high in calcium, and can pretty-up a plain green salad in no time.
Learn easy plants. Plenty of delicious foods are indigenous and plentiful to this region, and are easy to identify. “If people like greens with vinegar on them, they would particularly like dock,” Laurie says. Spinach-like lamb's quarters are also popular among foragers, and Laurie says that collecting this common plant is unlikely to wipe out the population. Add wild onion, chopped up like chives, to wild greens and you’ve got a savory side dish. A pawpaw fruit is both easy to find and easy to identify, as are berries such as blueberries and blackberries.
Get fancy. Euell Gibbons’ Stalking the Wild Asparagus is still the quintessential book on preparing wild foods. This book focuses on the gourmet elements or foraging, giving it much more flair than other more utilitarian options. Creating a great meal with your findings turns the craft of foraging into an art.
Today I’ll go home with just a few favorites, but there are already dozens of plants ready for picking in the Ohio River region this season. Finding food is as easy as taking a walk in the woods, so what are you waiting for?
Jennifer Oladipo is a freelance writer in Louisville who finds that free edible weeds fit her budget quite nicely. She would like you to consult an expert before foraging.