觅食
Wild foods connect us to the world we inhabit, helping us to honor and value the living systems on which we depend. 觅食 offers safe, economical, nutritious food. Our world is inhabited by many plants with a long history of human 使用.
我们进化到觅食
As young children we spend years crawling on the ground with a tendency to taste everything 触手可及. This human characteristic prepares us to have the literacy to recognize plants as food and medicine as we mature. We can rediscover this capacity in our modern 环境.
Wild edible foods are readily distributed by people in our ordinary movements through 景观. While some foraged fare can be found in the deep woods, most wild foods can be found in close proximity to human activity. 食物 grows in the faded shadows 我们的脚步.
野生食物的好处
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Industrial 食物 Concerns
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冷季觅食
Look for leafy greens and shoots of the following wild plants when they are vibrant and stretchable during the cool seasons. If the greens are tough or coarse, or the plant has shifted its energy into the flowers, the greens are often no longer palatable 有时不安全. 的 following leaves and shoots are easy to identify.
芦笋
椴木
beebalm
山毛榉
繁缕
菊苣*
三叶草
蒲公英*
码头*
大蒜芥
地面常春藤
毛bittercress
宝盖草
锦葵
艾蒿
车前草
紫色薄荷类
紫荆属植物
黄樟
羊酢浆草属
荠菜
小荨麻
紫罗兰色的
野生佛手柑
野生莴苣
野生洋葱
木酢浆草属*
*草酸含量高.
Flowers make a bright garnish, bulking agent in salads, or flavorful appetizers. 收集 在盛放的时候.
椴木
beebalm
刺槐
繁缕
菊苣*
三叶草
蒲公英*
黄花菜
月见草
大蒜芥
地面常春藤
毛bittercress
宝盖草
锦葵
紫色薄荷类
紫荆属植物
紫罗兰色的
野生莴苣
野生佛手柑
野生洋葱
木酢浆草属*
*草酸含量高.
High in energy, winter foods help humans store fat to get through winter.
橡子
黑胡桃
栗子
北美矮栗树
榛子
耶路撒冷洋蓟
山核桃坚果
枫糖浆
“
山核桃
柿子
玫瑰果
山胡椒
温暖的季节觅食
After the spring equinox, late season annual plants emerge and bask in the lengthening 天.
苋菜*
三叶草
月见草
秋麒麟草属植物
芙蓉
lambsquarters *
马利筋
pepperweed
pineappleweed
马齿苋*
黄樟
亚罗
*草酸含量高.
Enjoy fresh fruits in season.
aronia
海滩李子
黑莓
黑樱桃
黑莓*
蓝莓
接骨木
葡萄
桑
红莓
西番莲
草莓
漆树*
白里叶莓果
*草酸含量高.
** Avoid if allergic to cashews.
植物的毒性
All plants contain compounds that are toxic to humans. Many plants have nutrients that are unavailable without processing. 我们敦促所有新手 foragers to begin by accompanying an experienced mentor, to reference multiple books for authoritative information.
Testing for Sensitivity to New 食物s
Upon positively identifying a new food, we advise following the following steps:
- Crush a small portion of the plant and rub it on the inside of your wrist. 等20分钟.
- If no reaction occurs, rub the crushed plant on the outside of your lips. 等20分钟.
- If no reaction occurs, taste the crushed plant and spit it out. 等20分钟.
- If it tastes good and no reaction occurs, eat a tiny amount of the plant. 等待1天.
- If it tastes good and you’d like more, go ahead and harvest some of the plant for 使用.
Focus on taste and listen to your intuition. Your tongue and body will warn you if the plant contains harmful compounds. 调优 into your human instincts.
Students in the 食物 Lab learn how to gather and prepare wild foods to maximize nutrient 生物利用度.
道德及指引
- Collect only what you need, no more than 25% of a population of wild plants from an area.
- Avoid gathering plants from areas contaminated by pollution; always wash food.
- Harvest plant parts at the appropriate stage of growth based on its life cycle; some plants are toxic if collected at the wrong stage. Learn how to avoid or reduce harmful plant compounds.
- Start by foraging where you live. Observe plants throughout the growing season.
- Do not eat any plant if you are not 100% confident in its 识别, or if it does not have a long history of 使用 by humans.
Best Practices in 觅食 and Wildcrafting
与家人见面
Plants can be easily recognized by learning similar growth characteristics shared by their botanical relatives. 借书 一日植物学 or Shanleya的追求 by wild foods instructor Thomas Elpel for examples of this method.
家庭模式
花园里的植物 薄荷, 锦葵, 芥末 families are generally safe to consume, a great starting place for beginners.
花园里的植物 胡萝卜 family can have highly poisonous lookalikes.
的 苋属植物, 荞麦, 马齿苋, 木酢浆草属 families tend to have plants that are high in oxalates, ought to be consumed 适量的.
使用科学名称
Plants have a variety of common names, which can ca使用 confusion when it comes to 识别. Learn the family, genus, species of each plant you decide to eat.