Will Forage For Food

Wild Greens Are Nutrient-Dense

I first fell in love with identifying wild plants as a teen. At that time, it was wildflowers that interested me. Over the years, I’ve become more interested in wild plants that I can forage for food. Delicious, nutrient-dense food.

This past winter has been one of the longest, snowiest, and coldest that I can remember. It’s mid-April, and we’ve barely felt spring. I’ve been checking soil temperature every few days, and it’s just now reaching 45 degrees F. That means that very little is sprouting. The first crocus are just starting to bloom, and there’s still no sign of forsythia.

The ramps are just starting to grow.

That also means that wild greens are not yet popping up. Ever hopeful, I took a walk along a local stream looking for ramps, and watercress, and stinging nettle. The ramps are just starting to poke their heads through the ground, but wild greens are nowhere to be seen. Not even a dandelion leaf to be had. My body is screaming for these nutritious greens!

I’ve been challenged by my friend Melissa at Ever Growing Farm to be more conscious about eating local. She is committing to eating local for 100 days. Actually, her commitment is 100 days, 100 miles, $100 a week. Read more about the challenge here. I hope you’ll join her.

I’m Challenging Myself to Eat More Foraged Food

I knew I wanted to participate in Melissa’s challenge as soon as she mentioned it, and I knew that my challenge would involve foraging. But how will I start if there’s nothing out there to forage? But, I know that spring WILL come, and the greens WILL grow. So, I am committing to going out there once a week this spring to at least look and learn. If I bring something home to cook, all the better!

No sooner had I made my decision when I discovered a wonderful eBook on foraging. It’s called Will Forage For Soup and it’s written by mother and daughter Jeanie Rose and Amanda Rose. And yes, I stole my post title from them (with a slight change).

Will Forage For Soup focuses on making soup from foraged greens like lamb’s quarters, nettle leaf, purslane, miner’s lettuce, and more. In it, you’ll learn how to clean wild greens, how to preserve them, and how to make delicious soup from them.