Foraging in Central Park, New York City (Photo Courtesy of
“Wildman” Steve Brill) Wild Foraging is the act of harvesting
edible, wild growing plants and fungi. For most of the history
of our species, we were primarily foragers. We only started
hunting more recently (even then obtaining the majority of our
food by foraging) and farming even more recently. In the
industrialized world, most of us rarely consider the idea that
food can be obtained from any source other than from commercial
agriculture on store shelves. In a society where we have become
accustomed to eating fruit out of season, getting food out of
boxes, and where most of us can‚Äôt distinguish foods that grow
locally from those that grow a hemisphere away, we have lost
traditional wisdom about the food and medicinal value of plants
and fungi growing all around us. We automatically close
ourselves to an immediately available source of high quality
food and medicines that are much more healthful and safer than
over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Wild