Plant Foraging Challenge
Day 1: Introduction to Wild-Plant Foraging
Challenge: Find a field guide or a reliable online resource on wild edible plants. Identify three common edible plants in your area and learn about their characteristics, seasons, and potential uses. I’d recommend Arthur Haines, Roger Hammer, and Samuel Thayer as producers of reputable plant foraging guides.
Day 2: Foraging Basics
Challenge: Go for a nature walk and observe your surroundings. Look for any of the three edible plants you identified on Day 1. Take notes or photos to document your findings. Don’t pick anything yet; focus first on observation, your senses, and proper identification.
Day 3: Wild-Plant Foraging
Challenge: Review safety guidelines for foraging. Learn about toxic plants in your region, and practice distinguishing them from edible ones. Identify one toxic plant and one edible plant, noting key differences. Examples may be wild carrot and poison hemlock.
Day 4: Harvest and Prepare Edible Plants
Challenge: Share what you’ve learned during the challenge with friends or family. Discuss your experiences, including the edible plants you found and the dish you prepared. Encourage them to join you in learning about wild-plant foraging. Use our LionMan ReWilding Private Facebook Group to show off your results!
Day 5: Share Your Foraging Journey
Challenge: Choose one of the edible plants you identified earlier (ensure it’s legal to harvest in your area and the plant population you’re studying is healthy). Learn the best time to harvest it and how to do so responsibly (including avoiding plants that may be growing in polluted environments). Then, prepare a simple dish using the plant, such as a salad or herbal tea. Then, share your results on our private LMSR Facebook group page!
Follow LMSR here: https://lionmanrewilding.com/