Food is essential for our bodies, our economies and our communities—but the way we produce food isn’t always good for the planet. Feeding people doesn’t have to come at nature’s expense, though. Regenerative food systems actively restore nature while also ensuring we can feed many generations to come. Watch The Nature Conservancy’s video about how food production can enhance nature instead of harm it.
One of the original sustainable ways people procured food was through foraging, and the activity has regained popularity in recent years. Foraging these days may not put a full dinner on the table but is an engaging and educational way to explore nature and introduce your kids to basic concepts about how we get our food.
Humans have been gathering wild food—that grows free and unmanaged and is usually not found in supermarkets—throughout our history, so it’s completely natural for us to search for plants, mushrooms, herbs and fruits we can eat. Wild foods can be nutritious and tasty if you learn which varieties are edible and follow appropriate harvesting protocols.
Know Before You Go
Professional forager and Hunterdon County resident, Tama Matsuoka Wong, says it is even safe to forage with your kids. “Start in your backyard and make sure you can accurately identify the plants in there,” she says. “Make sure you don’t spray your yard and that you don’t have dogs or cats in your foraging area—a fallow or weedy vegetable bed might be a good place to start.”
If your yard is small or you don’t have one, a community garden plot is another option, or you see if your school will provide space. “Ask them to set aside a natural area that is fenced off or otherwise marked, that is free from pesticides,” suggests Wong. Wherever you forage, make sure you are all adequately equipped for the outdoors with a hat, sunscreen, boots if needed and plenty of water, and remember to check everyone for ticks back at home.
One place you definitely do not want to forage: state lands. “It is illegal to forage on state lands and the troopers will stop you,” Wong says, warning that these places may also have been treated with toxic pesticides.
Food Fascination
Foraging not only gets kids out for some fresh air and sunshine, but also piques their interest in food and history.
“The best age to start is about grade 3 so that they know enough not to just grab anything and put it in their mouths,” says Wong. “They get really excited to identify edible plants like onion grass or wild chives, and heart-shaped yellow wood sorrel which has a lemony tart flavor.”
Wong also recommends Japanese honeysuckle flower (the vining species, not the bush), saying “When the flower just opens, pluck it and suck the drops out of the narrow end. It tastes like ambrosia!” This plant species is invasive, or not native to New Jersey, and can cause harm to the environment if it grows out of control. “If the vine is strangling a tree, you or older kids can cut it to help the tree.” Another great environmental educational opportunity!
The take-home lesson from proper foraging is that food originates from nature, not the supermarket or even the farms, that we are all part of nature which starts right in our backyards.
Want a recipe to try after foraging? Try Mugwort Soup (made from the plant!) from the book Wong co-authored with Chef Eddy Leroux, Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients in Your Backyard or Farmer’s Market. The recipe was developed by Leroux for home use and was tested by Wong’s (at the time) 15-year-old daughter and is easy to make, she says.
To check out more wild recipes, like nettle quiche, follow Wong on Instagram @meadowsandmore.
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Read More:
10 Tips for Hiking With the Kids
You and Your Family Can Learn to Live More Sustainably
Gardening for Pollinators as a Family
Top 10 Family-Friendly Nature Adventures in New Jersey