When I had to pack up my rural homestead and move it to the city, foraging was one of the few things I thought I would have to give up. Fortunately, after just a few short weeks, I began to notice a few familiar plants, which gave me a much-needed incentive to explore my new neighborhood. Urban foraging—identifying and harvesting food that grows around the city—is as much, if not more, fun than foraging in the woods. Wild food is everywhere for the taking, and who among us doesn’t like free food?
Many people are nervous about getting their food anywhere except a grocery store. This is an example of how far we have moved from our ancestors. Plant and mushroom identification must be done, but it does not take very long until you’re able to spot edible plants every time you go outside. One huge benefit of knowing what’s edible and what’s not is the opportunity to share this knowledge with the people around you. Building community is an important part of homesteading regardless of where you are located, and foraging skills are a terrific way to do that.
To get started on plant identification, research edible plants that are native to your immediate area. You can do this online or, better yet, visit your closest extension office. Once you have a list of potential pants, grab a local field guide and become very well acquainted with the plants on that list. Not only should you know what the plant looks like, but it’s texture and smell as well. Many edible plants have toxic lookalikes, so relying solely on visual clues is not enough. By studying the plants that grow in your immediate area, you are cutting out a lot of wasted time. After all, it doesn’t do you any good to be able to identify a plant that grows in New York if you’re foraging in Montana. To cut even more time, divide your list of plants into their growing season and familiarize yourself with the ones you will be looking for this season.
If you are still nervous about identifying plants, look up foraging tours in your area. These tours are led by experts who walk you through the city, pointing out edibles and their toxic lookalikes. You can also download a plant identification app to use in the field. The app is a handy tool while you’re foraging, but you do not want it to be your sole source of information.
Always be sure you are ethically harvesting wild food. Leave enough plants to survive and reproduce, as well as enough for the next forager. If there are several patches of the wild food you are collecting, harvest some from each patch instead of clearing out one patch entirely.
In rural areas, it was fairly easy to forage anywhere. In a city, you need to be more aware of property rights and protected plants. If you see something from the road but it looks like it is on someone’s property, by all means, go knock on the door and ask. Most people will be tickled to learn they have food growing in their yard. Do not go onto private property without permission.
High-pollution areas are another place to avoid while foraging. This includes areas right by highways, as well as anything close to industrial buildings. Golf courses are another no-go. It takes a lot of chemicals to keep a course looking that pristine.
The following is a list of some prolific plants that are easy to identify. Once you become comfortable with these, expand your horizons.
Dandelions are probably the most recognizable plant and they grow everywhere. In my local grocery store, dandelion greens are sold next to the lettuce, for a pretty hefty price. Go outside and get some for free! The entire plant—leaves, stem, flower, and roots—are edible.
Purslane is another plant you can find just about anywhere. It thrives in dry areas, so this is a good one to look for when everything else seems to be drying up. Purslane is a succulent with tiny but juicy leaves and stems that have a lemon flavor. It makes a great addition to salads.
Chickweed is a clumped perennial herb that blooms pretty white flowers in the spring. It grows all across North America and has a crunchy texture and slightly sweet flavor. It’s another great salad green.
While chives and wild garlic are so much more flavorful than anything you can buy in the store. Their smell makes identifying these incredibly easy. Wild garlic is ready to harvest when its flowers are in full bloom. Not only can you eat the garlic bulbs, the flowers are edible as well. The flowers have a mild garlic flavor. Once dried out, add them to a container of salt for a homemade garlic seasoning salt. Add other dried herbs as well, to customize to your taste.
Wild garlic mustard is plentiful in undisturbed areas and along roadsides. Wild garlic mustard is perfect for a tangy pesto.
Fiddleheads pop up at the first sign of spring and they have a taste similar to green beans. Sauteing them in olive oil is the best way I have found to cook them and retain their spring-fresh flavor.
Many flowers are also edible. My favorites are lilacs and daylilies. Lilacs can be candied to use on desserts or they can be submerged in white wine vinegar to use as a salad dressing. Lilac vinegar turns a gorgeous purple and will add a slight floral taste to your oil & vinegar dressing.
Daylilies can be picked when in full bloom. They are edible raw, but they are absolutely delicious stuffed with tuna or chicken salad and lightly fried.
Finally, nuts, wild fruits, and berries can be found anywhere! Blackberry bushes are the place to start, as they can be found on side roads and parks, and they produce most of the summer. Be sure to wear closed-toe shoes, long pants, and long sleeves. Blueberry bushes are less common than blackberries, but can still be found. Wild strawberries—tiny fruits with big flavor—pop up early summer. Quince and pawpaws grow wild in the South, and pecans are usually falling by late September.
Foraging wild food in the city is a good way to supplement your diet with healthy food, acquaint yourself with your neighborhood, interact with your neighbors, and get a daily dose of fresh air and exercise. While you’re collecting food, don’t forget to collect for your homemade pharmacy, as well as for any nature crafts. Don’t let the perceived limitation of living in the city prevent you from living your best homesteading life.