Morel hunting and elk hunting have a lot in common. Namely, “hunting.” Both pursuits take place in the mountains, in places that are typically inconvenient to access, require enormous effort, and can take a toll on body, spirit, clothing, relationships, and anything else of value. But we do it anyway. We do it because both…

I make a point to eat a dandelion every day. The whole plant is edible, from the sunny top to the deep taproot, and all the stem, stalk, and leaf in between. And there are ways to eat it that won’t contort your face with bitterness but rather turn your frown upside down, inside out,…

The wild greens of springtime are on the rise—in the woods, by the creek, near the tracks, and in your garden, where they are known as weeds. These plants can be intensely bitter and aromatic, making their flavor too strong for many palates. For those who haven’t yet acquired a taste for them, turning these…

Living in a major American metropolis almost guarantees you’ll see some notable sights—police chases, rowdy gangs—you know, the usual. But in the past few years, I’ve seen a more unexpected sight: people foraging along the city parkway where I live. Admittedly, I’ve met such a sight with internally raised eyebrows, chalking the unusual nature of…

When Tama Matsuoka Wong looks out at her backyard meadow, where others may see an unruly mess of weeds gone wild, she sees a treasure trove. It contains over 225 native and non-native plants, which she observes, identifies, and forages daily. “I have to do foraging,” she said. “It gets me out, rejuvenates me. After…

When you work with wild food, says Alan Bergo, “you learn about a lot more than food.” For the Minnesota professional chef turned full-time forager, foraging expanded his horizons beyond what he even thought possible—and possibly saved his life. Take the results of a recent rabbit hole of research: isirgan salatasi, a traditional Turkish salad…

Wild foods found me in my mid-20s. I’ve always been a nature buff—a birdwatcher, hiker, and so on—but it wasn’t until I moved to Seattle and fell in with a crowd of outdoorsy folks who liked to eat well that I recognized the specific charms of foraging. I was hanging around with a bunch of…

​​“I added up a list of all the things I collect within walking distance of my house, and it was 346 species,” says renowned forager Sam Thayer. A count of plants (excluding spices) in all the products at his local grocery store? 124. For more than two decades, Thayer’s been touting the bounty of readily…

By Erica Pearson From Star Tribune Being able to correctly identify edible trees—and reach the branches—is essential. Minneapolis—Is your Christmas tree edible? Technically, yes—if it’s fir, spruce or pine and you’re confident it wasn’t doused with pesticides. But you might want to start by sipping it instead. “Just sticking needles in your mouth isn’t really…

Imagine standing on the rugged terrain of an ancient glacial fjord, just as likely to spot a black bear, moose, or wolf as another human soul. The setting is remote. Wild. Unforgiving. But for chef Kirsten Dixon, this untamed Alaskan backcountry is simply home, sweet home. For 40 years, Dixon and her family have encouraged…