Foraging – Getting the Lay of the Land
May 14th, 2009 | By | Category: Foraging, Out & About | Comments | 21 Comments |
Foragers are always eyeing the world around them, sizing it up to see what might be tasty. This is why most hunter-gatherer societies are nomadic, meandering from place to place in search of the best stuff to eat at any given moment. The point of agriculture is that you always know where that stuff will be come tomorrow.
But planting a seed means you are responsible for the livelihood of the plant. It ties you to one place. Foraging wild food absolves you of that responsibility and lets you just wander through the world plucking yummy things as you see them. The trick is knowing that Nature doesn’t distribute the good stuff evenly: game animals tend to be concentrated in certain spots, as do fish — as do wild plants.
So unless you know the lay of the land, you end up walking too far to find the things you want to eat, burning more calories than you would take in from the food you found; at least that’s the calculus of those who actually depend on the land to give them everything. For the modern forager, knowing the terrain merely means I waste less time when I am gathering.
Which leads me to a confession: I have been a haphazard forager since I moved to California several years ago. It’s why “forager” isn’t in the title of this website. Truth be told, Lang over at Fat of the Land inspired me to return to my old habits, which began as a curious child and continued as a poor graduate student and young reporter. I knew my surroundings far better then than I do now, but I aim to change that.
It’s not like I don’t know any good spots around here, but to be a really good forager you need to know lots and lots of good spots, in a variety of habitats. Holly and I began that process last weekend with a walk along the American River in Carmichael. Thousands of people walk, run, bike or picnic along the American River every day, and almost none of them can see the bounty that surrounds them.
For starters, there is wild mustard everywhere. In the winter it is a lovely green veggie, and in the spring the flower buds taste essentially the same as broccolini, or broccoli raab.
I like these steamed in white wine or stock, then sauteed with olive oil, salt, garlic and black pepper. We picked a plastic bag’s worth of just the unopened buds and wandered on.
A tip to any would-be foragers out there: Get thee to the river. Riparian corridors, as the scientists call them, always have water and support a lot more life than most other North American habitats. This means you are more likely to find more types of delicious wild food (and fish and game, too) along a river than in other places. There is a reason most cities are founded along rivers…
We saw some wild fennel and California mugwort as we were walking. Wild fennel got here in California somehow and has naturalized to the point where it is a borderline invasive weed. Some people call its domestic cousin “anise;” these are the licorice-flavored bulbs you can find in the supermarket. The wild plant doesn’t do bulbs, but it is way more fragrant than its lazy domestic cousin. It is literally everywhere around here so we let it lie. For now.
California mugwort is a relative of artemesia, a plant sacred to Diana the Huntress. (Probably why Holly liked it. I think they are related.) Dusty Miller and wormwood are also in the artemesia family, and all possess a warm, spicy aroma — and all are legitimate medicinal plants. Mugwort, taken as a strong tea, will help kill bad intestinal worms, should you ever be so unlucky as to get some. I have another use for it, that I’ll get into later.
As we wandered along, we kept seeing fuzzy black caterpillars dotted with crimson spots scurrying along the trail in search of something. Neither of us had ever seen this sort of caterpillar before. We took a mental note of what the critter looked like so we could check it against our guide books, then moved on. Not a hundred yards from where we saw the mugwort were wild California river grapes.
Lots and lots and lots of wild California river grapes. A bonanza in the making! These grapes hang all over trees and big shrubs all along any river in California, and are as sweet as any domestic grape. They are a bit foxy, however, and that musky note makes for a pretty, um, “interesting” wine. I do not recommend making river grape wine, at least in California. If you live in the East and can find wild Concord, Muscadine or Scuppernongs, go for it.
Nope, we will return here in late summer to make grape jelly, preserves and especially saba, which the Greeks call petimezi. This is where you crush a bunch of grapes and boil them down, then strain the juice off. It becomes a thick syrup that is an excellent base for wild game sauces.
We also spotted vast swaths of elders, most already in full bloom; they are the flower pictured at the top of this post. I have big plans for the elder this year, starting with those flowers. More on that later.
Moving on, we realized it was getting way too hot and dry to find any mushrooms at this low elevation — it is supposed to hit 100 degrees here Sunday. Meh. But Holly did spot these little shrooms hiding in the opening of a rodent hole. They’re like lawn ornaments for Mr. Mouse.
Not far from Mr. Mouse’s den we saw wild calla lilies. Californians love calla lilies, and pay big money to plant all sorts of fancy varieties in their yards. I think this simple little wild thing is pretty enough. And no, you can’t eat it — unlike the Eastern day lily, which is fine food.
A little later, Holly stopped dead on the trail. “Look at that!” she said, bending down near the ground. Holly is the spotter of the two of us; I have better ears and a better sense of smell, but her eyes are far keener than mine. I stooped to see what she was looking at and there was a sight I have never seen before.
So THAT is what those caterpillars were looking for! But what the hell was it? A fruit of some sort. I picked one and cut it open: It looked like a pithy and dry, unripe starfruit. Did starfruit live in California? Being from the East, I figured anything was possible. And just what were these caterpillars? Back at home, we learned that this was California pipevine (not edible), and this was a special variety of swallowtail butterfly whose caterpillars only eat this plant. So cool.
This is one of the beauties of foraging: You never know what you’ll find, if only you look. The caterpillars we saw on the trail before had been doing the same thing we were, looking for the precise places where good things to eat live. They found their pipevine. We found those broccolini buds (which proved to be a bit past their prime — pick them in April instead), but more importantly, we found the location of good things to come.
And this is another beauty of foraging. As we walked, I took mental notes of the location of plants we wanted to return to, and when we might want to do that. Blackberries? July. Elderberries? Late July. Wild Grapes? August. We also passed a huge black walnut tree right near the parking lot that won’t be worth checking until September, but we will remember it was there.
So even though we only came home with a few greens, having that mental map was well worth the walk. But it was only one little stretch of the river. There is so much more to explore…
Great post and great fun! I’ve not yet tried my hand at anything other than blackberries and elderberries, but I have a couple of good spots to show you. Also, thanks for the tip on mustard.
By the way, I’ve seen Armenians collecting grape leaves for stuffing on the river here.
Wonderful post! I have been known, on occasion, to bemoan the lack of conveniences where I live in Pennsylvania, like late pick ups for my overnight packages, and other assorted and sundry nonsense, but then I stop to think about all of the fantastic things I can find just by taking a walk around here. There’s always an abundance of wild berries and other edible plants. I don’t know enough yet about wild mushrooms to give hunting them a try, but I think that will be a project for the near future.
Man, after this weekend passes and finals are done I am so ready to go do this with you guys. =)
The elderflowers themselves may be worth foraging. In Germany and Italy they make an incredible floral infusion/syrup out of the blossoms that is indescribably delicious. I’ve also heard that the blossoms can be battered and deep fried, or used to flavor wine. But then, if you pick the blossoms, fewer (or no) berries.
We just planted some elders. Looks like it’s going to be a year or two before we see any blossoms or fruit.
Josh: Thought about doing that. Haven’t made dolmas in a dog’s age…
Tina: I bet you get wild strawberries and blueberries in Pennsylvania. Neither really grow out here.
Garrett: Just let me know when you want to go.
Kate: Just you wait. I said I have plans for those elderflowers. And with so many growing wild around here, there is no need to skimp on my projects.
One of the joys of spring here in RI is fly-fishing for trout on the Wood River, and it’s a double teat at the right time of year when you can collect fiddle heads along the riverbank. Grilled trout and steamed fiddleheads: spring on a plate.
We used to pick wild strawberries every summer on the mountain (such as it is here) behind my parent’s house. I haven’t been up there since I was in junior high (no comment on how long ago that was); I think I’m going to take a walk up there in the next week or so to see if the patch still exists. I’ve never seen wild blueberries around here, but who knows. I’ll have to look around. We do have loads of blackberries and elderberries, so those will definitely be on the list later this summer.
I’ll be watching for your post on elderberry blossoms. We should be seeing them very soon, so I’d love some ideas!
Hank, I first indulged my inner forager as a grad student too. Little money and lots of time equals opportunity to learn the lay of the land, as you aptly put it.
One of the great things about foraging is there’s way too much to learn for one lifetime. I’m continually surprised by what wild foods I can incorporate into my repertoire (I use that word instead of “diet” b/c the latter sounds clinical and not very fun; for me it’s about finding wild foods that taste good in quantities that make it worthwhile). Case in point: Devil’s club. It’s not just a nasty collection of spines meant to harass NW bushwhackers; in fact, its buds are delicious and can be eaten during a very brief window in spring. Whodathunkit?
Very cool looking caterpillar, btw–another reason to get outside and poke around!
Garrett: When I’m done grading final projects, let’s go. You can find lots of treasures in an afternoon of kayaking at Lake Natoma (where your OneCard will get you a discount on kayak rentals). I spend half my kayak trips in July feasting at blackberry vines. Sometimes I even bring some home for Hank… but only if he promises to make ice cream.
I pop in to read your blog every so often. Having lived in Long Beach for a short while in the mid-70s and visited again last fall, foraging seems a really interesting concept. I hope you don’t mind me replying to Tina’s comments. I have put together two articles on using elderflowers in the kitchen for both culinary and cosmetic purposes on the Herb Society site http://www.herbsociety.org.uk/kh-main.htm as part of my Hedgerow to Kitchen series. I love elderflower and use it for many things, including medicinal. You didn’t say whether your elder tree was a sambucus niger or a native blue elder?
It’s those elderflowers that caught my attention. Recently relocated from Denmark to Marin county, and have yet to find elderflowers. Our summer is not complete without homemade elderflower syrup mixed with water or even champagne for a hot summer day.
Sarah: Our elders are natives here. Definitely sambucus, but probably blue. We have lots of different ones here…
Lynda: Elders are everywhere right now here in Sacramento. Look near rivers. Maybe the Napa?
I’ve been taking the neighbor kids on walks to the river recently and pointing out the edible plants. Got them totally excited about miner’s lettuce which was growing everywhere a month ago. Wild fennel “possibly” an invasive weed? Have you ever tried to dig one out? I would say high on the list of invasive weeds. Good by the river though, easy enough to pick the fronds and chew on them like natural licorice.
Hank, do you have a good guidebook to Sacramento river delta wildlife and plants? I used to have one when I was in high school and used it all the time, can’t find it now.
Nice timing; my next article is about wild and semi-wild foraging. Last night I made spanakopita with mostly wild greens- they’re especially great for filling in the weeks while the garden gets up to speed. When I lived out there I heard that the fennel was planted back in the day by Italian immigrants and then just sort of took over. About a million years ago I went rafting on the American river…
You lucky, lucky dog!! After reading about the Elderflower syrup and Elderflower wine in the River Cottage Cookbook I’ve been itching to try some. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen them in hot, humid Houston. Or maybe I’m not looking in the right places…Can’t wait to see your work with them.
Hi Hank
Not sure if you go in for blog awards, but I thought you’d like to know you’ve been awarded the Bella Award. For more details go to http://kitchenherbwife.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-blog-award.html
I’ve got to get out more, but I’ve more time now as well.
I’ve both wild blueberry and rasberry on the property, not much but I can get about a pint of each. Enough for ice cream.
E. Nassar: Look alongside rivers. I bet you will find them. Look for the buttercream-colored flower heads.
Sarah: Although I do not do memes or blog awards, I’m very glad you like what I do here. So many of my readers live in the UK, and I love reading everyone’s adventures over in that very wet, very cool place. Strange how similar things can be despite the distance and difference in climate…
hey, my daughters and i live in east sac. we LOVE foraging in the alleys in our hood. every kind of fruit imaginable. could we join you some time on some of your foraging walks? i’d love to learn more about what’s edible around here. really would absolutely treasure it … let us know next time you’re heading out. we will find a way! especially on the river. i’d really love for us to learn all about what’s available there. thx.
Hi ther Hank, came by way of Biggie’s blog post using some of that rooster sausage
Anyway, I live in Carmichael right near Ancil Hoffman and I was wondering if you guys found the amazing blackberry bramble inside Effie Yaw… It is up the second trail in I believe, near a still pond… I never knew the beauty of foraging till I moved here from LA a couple years ago… I didn’t know what benefits living by a river could have!
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