F is for Foraging

F is for Foraging

Until the advent of agriculture, humans foraged for food. The desire and skills to forage is deep in our bones. We're lucky enough to live near a creek and over a summer in Melbourne it’s easy to find fennel, purslane, amaranth, sorrel, mallow and dandelion, along with (unsprayed) blackberries. While it would be near impossible to survive on foraged food alone it can make a tasty and nutritious addition to the family diet, especially some of the bitter greens and berries.

For last couple of years we’ve been able to forage blackberries from our neighbours’ vacant block. Unfortunately now they’ve all been cleared out we will have to forage a little further along the creek. This summer we were fortunate that some purslane self-seeded in our garden which was a very exciting find although technically not foraging. Purslane is eaten throughout much of Europe and Mexico. It can be eaten raw in salad, stir-fried, or cooked like spinach.

Before you head out foraging, please do your homework!

The Book ‘Edible Weeds and Garden Plants of Melbourne’ is a great local resource. Other useful references include the 'The Weed Foragers Handbook' and 'Foraging for Beginners'.

Better yet if you can, go with someone in the know. There are even commercial urban foraging tours around Melbourne. The best is Doris Pozzi’s ‘Edible Weeds walks and workshops’

Finally, a heads up. While foraging for food on private land is legal across Australia - so long as you either own the land or have the owner’s permission. BUT, laws on removing plants from public land vary from state to state and between municipalities; and National Parks and state forests are all regulated differently.