The Wild Foodies of Philly
   In search of the food beneath our feet!

WELCOME! COMMENTS, CAUTIONS, & TIPS!

“Re-wilding” is about learning to live with nature, again.

We need a massive "public information" and "academic education" campaign. We have an inherent right and a fundamental need to know about our wild world. It contains fantastic natural resources for food, fiber, medicine, and much more that have been cherished by many cultures for thousands of years. Yet, for many, that life-sustaining knowledge has been lost. It is our aim to educate ourselves and others about the uses of wild plants in our region, both native and non-native. During this process, it is important to keep an open mind because there are always new things to learn. It is also a good habit to refer to multiple sources of information and to keep a notebook. No one source contains all the information on wild edibles, and some information can be incorrect. Certain plants have been called 'poisonous' when only specific parts are, or they need special preparation in order to become edible, or they are for medicinal use only. Rather than rely solely on foraging, we also encourage you to grow wild plants yourself so they can be close at hand. Many wild edibles can grow anywhere - in yards, planters, and pots. So, welcome to our community and enjoy learning about our WILD WORLD OF PLANTS!

OUR MISSION is to educate the public about wild edible plants and their many other uses. If you would like to financially support our mission, as most of our tours are free, please feel free to tip your tour guide, or make your check out to Lynn Landes LLC (address below), or via PayPal at LynnLandesLLC@gmail.com. The Wild Foodies is not a non-profit, so there is no tax deduction. Your donation will go towards our costs and advertising.

MEETUP RULES:

These tours are “walking-lectures”, so it’s necessary to establish some rules so that the tour is a success for all participants.

• Wild Foodies tours are "educational only" - no foraging and no tasting for safety and liability reasons. Plus, many parks don't allow foraging of any kind, anyway.

• Tour guides have various levels of knowledge and we do not certify anyone. It is up to everyone to do their own "due diligence" before eating a wild edible.

• Attendees must be 16+ and no dogs unless otherwise invited by the tour host. (We do sometimes host private tours, so contact us if you would like to schedule one.)

• If you signup, please show-up, otherwise it isn't fair to those on the waitlist.

• Please be on time and keep up with the tour guide, as lagging behind slows down the entire tour.

• When the tour guide is talking, please no talking or side conversations, as it can be very distracting.

• Please don't use bug 'spray' (natural or not) as it can affect those around you, but feel free to apply it directly to your skin or clothes.

• There is a lot of information on WildFoodies.org, so don't worry about taking notes.

WHY WILD FOODS?
 

• Truly Sustainable – Wild foods can survive and multiply without human assistance, unlike crops that are hybridized, selectively bred, or genetically modified.
• Real Food Security – Although “food security” is often portrayed as a sufficient number of grocery stores within a given area, 'real' food security may rely upon "knowledge of our local wild resources" and the safeguarding of those resources.
• Nutritional Diversity - Plants that grow in a wild and diverse environment makes them more nutritious than similar plants grown using conventional "monoculture" farming practices.
• Connects People to Nature - The mind-stomach-nature connection is a powerful one, physically, mentally, and emotionally, particularly as people learn that many of the plants they routinely consider 'nuisance weeds' are important sources of food, fiber, medicine and much more.

BEST PRACTICES & SOME CONTROVERSIES:

• Respect - All wild plants have a 'purpose' in the ecosystem and it is our job to respect that purpose and understand what it is.

• Due your own "Due Diligence" - Don't trust any once source for plant information; consult many.

• Keep an Open Mind - We're constantly learning new things about our wild world, which is always evolving anyway.

• Consideration - The 1/3 Rule is common practice by most foragers to refrain from harvesting more than 1/3 of any one plant or patch, although that could be too much. For berries on a tree or bush, I would take 1/4 at most. And when it comes to plantains, I only take one leaf. Err on the side of caution. Make an effort to learn about what plants are endangered and do your part to restore stands of threatened or endangered plants. United Plant Savers does important work on these issues:  https://unitedplantsavers.org 

• Common Names vs Latin - As we work to identify and share knowledge about wild foods, using Latin names can really confuse people and create a barrier to learning.  That said, we recognize that plants can be called by several names, so use Latin if there is confusion.

• Public Parks & Private Lands - It is illegal to forage on property that is not your own, unless otherwise posted. Some parks allow you to forage for your own personal needs. The Wild Foodies of Philly use public parks to learn to identify wild edibles, only, not to forage, eat, or dig up. Plus, some parks still use toxic chemicals. The best thing to do is to obtain or purchase wild edible plants for your own yard or container garden. Also, you can volunteer in many parks' weed removal programs, which can be a great opportunity to forage for wild edibles.

• Non-Native Plants: "Invasive Species Or Evolving Ecosystems?

"KNOW AND GO SLOW" - GENERAL TIPS ON FORAGING, PRESERVATION, PREPARATION, ETC:

• KNOW - Identify it!  We use our five senses to identify plants: sight, touch, taste, smell, and even hearing.  Often we need to scratch and sniff at stems and roots, tear a leaf in half, or roll a leaf between your fingers in order to squeeze out the juices & capture the scent. Never trust what a tour guide tells you! Always look up the information for yourself; do your own "due diligence", which is why we have our Resource Page and Master List of Plant Profiles with information from some excellent sources, such as www.PFAF.org and EatTheWeeds.com. Even those information sources can contain errors, so that's why you should always "so slow".  If you can't ID a plant, but need to try it anyway because you're in a survival situation, check out different versions of the Universal Edibility Test --
  • http://www.wikihow.com/Test-if-a-Plant-Is-Edible
  • http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/MILITARY/united_states_army_fm_21-76%20-%205_june_1992%20-%20part05.pdf
• GO SLOW - Eat one new plant at a time. You could be allergic or sensitive to any new food, let alone a wild plant. Wait to see how your system processes the food. Have a nibble and wait a day. Eat in moderation. Some wild greens pack a punch, unlike many waterlogged greens that are sold in stores. Many wild edibles are an herb, and can only be used as in small amounts as a flavoring, condiment, or garnish, but not as a vegetable side dish or main course.
• SEEDS - Know your seeds and which ones are edible or not. That applies to any plant part. Just because one part is edible, does NOT mean that all parts are.
• “Juicing” wild plants - We recommend against juicing.  A very diluted 'green smoothie' or light 'green drink' is a better alternative.
• Proper Plant Part - Many plants have parts that are safe to eat, but other parts that are not.  Be sure to know which is which.
• Preparation - In order to be safely consumed, many plants must be processed, such as: boiled, cooked, dried, soaked, or fermented. Please avoid the use of plastics, aluminum, and stickless pans, as they can contaminate your food with toxins.
• Tastes, Smells, & Textures: Wild edibles come in a wide variety of flavors based on their phyto-constituents and compounds. They might be: bland, bitter, sweet, sour, spicy (pepper), savory (bayberry leaf, goutweed, mugwort), salty, sulfurous (mustard, garlic, onion, pepper), minty, mushroomy, etc..  The same plant can taste differently depending on soil conditions, time of year, time of day, and each person's unique taste buds. See Wild Menu Ideas
• Clothing - If walking in tall grass, cover the areas of your skin that might be exposed to ticks. Hats are also a good idea. Wear gloves when handling stinging nettles, and prickly pear.
• Sun Block - The safest thing is to wear a hat and clothes that cover your skin, thus avoiding the use of scented sprays and ointments that others around you might be allergic or sensitive.
• Bug Repellent -  The best thing is to cover your skin. Some wild herbs, particularly any mint, can be used safely. Just crush the leaves and rub the fresh-pressed juice onto your skin, or make an infusion to spray on your skin when you are out in the field. See http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Mint-As-an-Insect-Repellent.
• Forage in the AM - Generally, you want to forage in the morning just after the dew dries and when the plants are at their crispy best.

ADDITIONAL CAUTIONS:

CHILDREN - Take particular care with young children and teach them not to consume any plant without a knowledgeable adult present, as children are far less likely to understand which plants or plant parts may be toxic.

CONTAMINATED AREAS - Avoid certain areas, such as next to roads, train tracks, former industrial areas, vacant lots, etc.. Lead contamination from cars and house paint (used in houses built prior to 1970) can make plants taste sweeter. If you want to grow plants for food, have the soil tested.  Visit: http://www.wildfoodies.org/MISC.htm.  If soil is contaminated, there are plants that can remediate the soil over time. Otherwise, purchase organic soil with as few additives as possible.

NATURAL LATEX - If a plant (dandelions, milkweed, wild lettuce, sow thistle, etc.) leeches a milky substance, latex, then take additional precautions because some people are highly allergic to latex and this can result in anaphylactic shock. 

FINE STINGING HAIRS – Wear gloves for plants that have fine stinging hairs, such as stinging nettle and wood nettle which can be treated with plantain and/or jewelweed, and prickly pear whose fine hairs must be removed with tweezers.

OXALIC ACID - Too much oxalic acid, such as in cultivated spinach, is said to interfere with the processing of calcium in the body and can contribute to kidney stones for those that are prone.  However, the U.S. National Institutes of Health have determined that the negative effects of oxalic acid are generally of little or no nutritional consequence in persons who eat a variety of foods. Others suggest cooking mitigates the issue.

GASSY ROOTS - Any root plant that contains inulin (Jerusalem artichoke/sunchoke, sunflower, burdock root, dandelion root, chicory root, and thistle root) can give you flatulence. Therefore, it is strongly advised to soak the roots for 24 hours, replacing the water after the first 12 hours. If that doesn't work, your can try pickling these roots with vinegar.

MOLD - Avoid plants whose green parts have turned color -- dark or white, particularly if conditions have turned very humid or wet.

POISONOUS V INEDIBLE PLANTS - There is a difference between inedible and poisonous.  Inedible usually means that a food or plant is too foul tasting to be used for food, although some supposedly inedible berries, are actually edible if used minimally or with other ingredients.  Poisonous means that the plant could make a person ill, sometimes fatally. Many poisonous plants still have edible parts, or some of the poisonous parts can be used medicinally. Learn about poisonous plants on the following page or at http://www.wildfoodies.org/PoisonousPlants.docx

These Comments, Cautions, and Tips are to assist you in learning about our Wild World of Plants.  Forage On, With Care!