SummerHarvestWeb - Flipbook - Page 34
Woodlands
Summer Foraging and
Mushroom Sporing
Gathering and Growing Wild Food with The Foraged Feast
By Sara Catherine Lichon
Photography by Sandy Ross courtesy of Whittemore CCC
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his time of year, nature is a well-stocked pantry, full of edible plants. A walk
through your neighborhood can reveal several edible wonders, from berries to
mushrooms to herbs. Foraging has become popular in recent years, both with
chefs as an extension of the farm-to-table movement and with home cooks looking to
enjoy the outdoors. To learn more about how to forage and grow wild food sustainably,
we met with Dan Lipow of The Foraged Feast, who showed us how getting to know the
food available in the wild can help us cultivate sustainable practices and build a relationship
with nature.
Foraging for food can open our eyes to the natural world around us, which in turn encourages us to care for it. When you start foraging, you begin noticing the seasonal patterns in your area – which plants are available when, where they dwell in your
neighborhood, and what type of ecosystem they’re best suited for. As a new forager learns
which plants are edible, they’re also likely to learn which plants are invasive and abundant,
and therefore encouraged to be
picked to prevent further spread.
Dan Lipow of The Foraged Feast
They’ll also learn which ones are
endangered and should be foraged with diligence and care.
If there’s a wild food you can’t
find while foraging, you can usually grow it through a practice
called permaculture. Permaculture is a form of sustainable agriculture centered around working
with nature. Similar to foraging,
this method can deepen your
connection with the land, as
you'll need to work with it in
order to produce food. Instead
of using weedkiller or pesticides,
permaculture calls for planning
your garden around attracting
beneficial insects and creating the
ideal environment certain plants
need to grow.
If there were ever an expert at
foraging and permaculture in
New Jersey, it would be Dan
Lipow. Dan is well-known for
providing foraged and cultivated
wild goods to chefs at top-notch
