I’d like to write an article about the very meaning of the title that you probably inferred — what happens when foraging becomes something negative. However, for now, I’m going to just talk about the abundance nature is currently providing. Stuff you should go out and get right now. They’re either rotting in abundance or they’re things you might have to wait another year to eat. As Napoleon Dynamite once said, “Eat the food!”.
Wild Edibles now in abundance (Late August, 2011):
- elderberries
- blackberries
- manzanita berries
- black walnuts
- nettles (in shady places)
- wild radish pods (only near coast)
- mallow cheesewheels (only near coast)
- new zealand spinach (ony near coast)
- feral pears
- pepperweed
Growing in my GARDEN currently ready for eating:
- Autumnberries/ Autumn Olives (this is the most productive food plant I have ever grown.)
- Aronia (ludicrously high in antioxidants and I learned a trick to eating them from a kid)
- cucumbers
- grapes
- sweet corn
- cherry and currant tomatoes
- mallow leaves
- red russian kale
- feral chard
- pumpkins and squash
- amaranth seeds
- purslane seeds
- green beans
- salsify
- pears
- apples
- stinging nettles
- aloe vera
- mint
I know I’m forgetting some.