Best Places to Forage

Foraging has been a vital skill for human kind for tens of thousands of years. It is what gave our ancestors the ability to survive along with hunting for animals and it’s what developed us as a species throughout our history on this planet. Foraging is a skill that’s become more and more trivial as we can now find food to eat at every grocery store, fast food joint or restaurant and we no longer have to forage through forests and the wilderness to ensure we have our daily bread, vegetables and meats. Still, foraging gives one the opportunity to know exact what their food is made out of.

In present day, with the increasing level of pollution and added chemicals in our foods, we are less conscious about what we put in our bodies. When you look at the ingredients on a loaf of bread, a pack of biscuits or your favourite chocolate, you can hardly understand what they mean. Aside from having complicated scientific names, there are many that have no purpose being in our food, but still, we are left with hardy any choices because organic food is much too expensive for everyone to be able to afford it. 

Growing Interest in Foraging

Seeing as these issues aren’t likely to be resolved in a manner that would satisfy the public soon enough, many Americans are nurturing an interest in their food. Where it comes from? What’s in it? How processed it is? All these questions become obsolete if you look into foraging. While doing a 180 and completely relying on foraged food may not be something most of us can do, having acces to any foraged food comes with many benefits to your health, your budget and your food inducing anxiety. But what are the best palces to forage food? That’s what we’re here to find out.

Where to Forage?

As long as you follow a few basic rules about foraging and you know where to look for it, we’re sure that you’ll enjoy going for a walk and gathering a few things to bring home with you. So here are some of the best places you can forage in the US. Get ready to make friends and go on outdoor trips because you won’t be able to forage from your sofa. That’s not how foraging works.

New York City, New York - Persimmon and Ginko Biloba

If you live in the Big Apple or are thinking that you should contact real estate agents in New York City NY to find yourself a home there, you should know that this city, despite being a global metropolis, is also a foraging heaven. Yeah. I know what you’re thinking, but there are foraging experts that hold classes in Central Park where you, allong with your children can learn all there is to know about foraging. Get familiar with the native and introduced plants in the city that never sleeps! Why shouldn’t you contact “Wildman” Steve Brill and discover an unthinkable part of New York? Depending on the season, you’ll have access to many edible plants including ginkgo biloba, the Kentuky coffee tree (for some caffeine-free coffee beans), and American persimmon. It’s not like it won’t be an exciting adventure. Just the idea of foraging is the Big Apple should be enough of a motivation if you ask me.

Willamette Valley, Oregon - Truffles

You may have heard of Willamette Valley in the context of wineries as it’s Oregon’s wine country where wine tasting gets couples with some incredible foods to enrich the bouquet of flavor even more. Still, there’s another secret in this valley and it’s another money-making commodity. If you haven’t heard of truffles, you’re in for a big surprise. If you have heard of them, you’re probably thinking you’ll either need a very good nosed hound or a pig. Still, truffles can be found without these expensive truffle finding detectives. But when onepound of the fungus is sold for $500 or more, those four legged detective don’t seem so expensive anymore. From winter through spring, you can embark on a truffle hunting venture at the Prestige Wine Tours with a professional hunter who brings his own sniffers. Afterwards, you can enjoy a wine collection who’s rich flavor is only enhanced by the truffles you’ll collect.

Ithaca, New York - Acorns, Mushrooms and Onions

When you live in upstate New York you know that any camping trip is a bit more than just a simple tent and mosquito bites. Get ready to camp out in style if you ever wind up foraging around Ithaca, New York. With safari-style tents that include some incredibly comfortable queen-sized beds, private porches and lanterns that work on batteries, you’ll have the starry night sky as your cover throught your sleep. In the morning, you’ll enjoy the guided foraging trips and learn all there is to know about the variety of plants, including mushrooms, acorns and greens that you can safely pick and eat in the grand state of New York. Don’t forget the medicinal plants you’ll find along the way and make sure you have plenty of storage to bring it all back home with you.

Asheville, North Carolina - Berries, Mushrooms and Greens

We all love berries, but did you ever consider pairing these delicious fruits with beer. Discover the local lager and berries combination and you’ll regret not having made this decision sooner. If you live in the city, you’ll wonder why you haven’t foraged before and if you haven’t, go ahead … we’ll wait while you contact real estate agents in Asheville NC, no worries. You can thank us later as you stock your pantry with mushrooms, greens and an assortment of berry jams that will work as a wonderful replacement for honey or maple syrup. The Asheville countryside will give you access to the first national forage-to-table experience and with all the knowledge you’ll gather there, you’ll be able to start foraging on your own soon enough.

Conclusion

It’s interesting to discover all the best offerings from nature come freely or at an affordable cost, especially seeing that once you understand the the basics and develop the foraging skill, all you’ll need is to reach nature. It really is as simple as that. So get ready to take notes, photographs and stuff your bag because you won’t leave these locations empty-handed, we can assure you. And who knows, it might be that in a matter of days or weeks, you’ll be able to at least partially turn to foraging to supply your nutritious needs. Acorns, nuts, berries and mushrooms are all pack with nutrients, vitamins and minerals that our bodies need, without the man-made chemical compounds that we can’t choose not to buy when we go grocery shopping. Keep healthy through your diet and get the exercise you need after 8 hours at the office! Few things can be as helpful for our stressful lifestyle as foraging.