62 Time November 18, 2019
ThisTles, a kind of flowering planT ofTen
covered in prickles, are probably not an ingredient
in your go-to recipes. But Katrina Blair wants you
to try eating them anyway. “I love to take the root,
fresh or dry, and blend them into a chai,” she says.
Blair, 50, is the founder of Turtle Lake Refuge, a
nonprofit that advocates for foraging and eating
weeds and other plants most people consider a
nuisance, not lunch.
Foraging is having a renaissance, driven in part
by people like Blair seeking to make better use of
local natural resources. Foraging how-to videos
have racked up hundreds of thousands of views on
YouTube, while millions of foraging- related photos
have been shared on Instagram. One public park in
the U.K. reportedly had a 600% spike in unauthor-
ized foraging incidents last year (many city parks
departments ban the practice).
It’s tempting to dismiss foraging as an Internet-
driven fad. But experts say there can be benefits to
rethinking what we consider food. Just 103 crop
varieties account for 90% of calories in the average
human diet, by one estimate. Four—wheat, maize,
rice and potatoes— provide 60%. “Our human diets
have become more and more dependent on a very
limited number of species,” says Ina Vandebroek, an
ethnobotanist at the New York Botanical Garden.
Diversifying our culinary portfolio could prevent
disaster if disease or climate change reduces staples.
Still, foraging comes with risks. Some plants
can trigger allergic reactions; others, like hem-
lock, are downright deadly. Fertilizers, pesticides
and heavy- metal contamination can also be dan-
gers. The growth in amateur foraging has under-
scored the risks: in 2018, a foraging cookbook was
recalled because some ingredients were poisonous.
Vandebroek says foraging is safest with an
expert. “Botanical identification is a skill you have
to learn,” she says. And Matthew Polizzotto, a soil
scientist at the University of Oregon, advises forag-
ers to consult government soil reports. “I would be
very cautious of any place where there has been a
lot of human disturbance,” he says.
But people can expand the biodiversity of their
diets without taking to the streets with trowel and
pail. Weeds like purslane, epazote and amaranth
can be found at local Caribbean and Latin Ameri-
can markets. “Sample what is available in other
communities,” says Vandebroek. “Commerce is a
very safe way to introduce yourself to many plants
considered weeds.” □
Gathering dinner
makes a comeback
By Wilder Davies
TimeOff Food
Use its greens
like spinach,
though its pollen
is a common
allergenA crunchy
succulent,
perfect for
salad or
soupWhen
cooked, its
leaves can
function as
a binding
agent in
place of
eggsIts nutritionally
dense seeds
can be used
in porridge or
popped like
popcornBlend and strain stalks
from a young plant for a
refreshing sweet juice