Free food @ $30 an excursion.

<quote>
Urban foraging

Salad daze

Hipsters are foraging for greens in urban parks

Dec 13th 2014 | SANTA BARBARA

SHOPPING for salad in supermarkets is too easy. A bag of ready-washed
baby greens costs only $3 at Walmart, and takes no time to lift from
the shelf. So a new breed of foodie spends hours foraging for plants
in city parks and vacant lots. For what can compare with the joy of
ripping up the roots of a mallow plant and eating the mucus they
produce when boiled? Many wild American plants are edible but
unavailable in supermarkets: dandelion, pig weed, bull thistle, skunk
vine. But not everyone recognises them. Enter the foraging gurus, who
teach hipsters how to pluck on the wild side.

"Green Deane" Jordan charges $30 for a foraging excursion in Orlando,
Florida; demand exceeds supply, he says. New foraging apps, websites
and books are making it easier than ever to score free food. But this
only part of the story.

Foraging fits the anti-corporate faith of many hipsters. People are
"yearning for something that's real", says Frank Grindrod, who teaches
foraging in Massachusetts. Urban parks typically offer more plant
varieties than similarly sized wilderness areas. And city greenery
holds more calories per acre than wildlands that are picked over by
deer, says Steve "Wildman" Brill, who sells a 26-language "Wild
Edibles" app and gives foraging tours in New York city parks.

Wild food tastes better than you might expect, enthusiasts say.
Cattail roots, roasted until caramelised, have a pleasant chestnut
flavour. The mucus of the mallow plant can substitute for egg whites
to enrich meringues.

Roughly 18% of Americans forage at least once a year, up from 13% in
1999, says Marla Emery, a geographer at the US Forest Service.
ForageSF, a San Francisco firm, serves $100 dinners with foraged
ingredients such as beached kelp and fennel pollen. Iso Rabins, the
founder, had hoped to employ staff foragers but found that the
laudable attributes of folks willing to forage full-time did not
include promptness in returning calls or punctuality. He now uses
freelances instead.
</quote>

http://www.economist.com/news/united...rks-salad-daze

--
Bob
www.kanyak.com

On Saturday, December 13, 2014 1:55:49 AM UTC-6, Bruce wrote:
> On Sat, 13 Dec 2014 09:41:35 +0200, Opinicus
> > wrote:
>
> >Free food @ $30 an excursion.
> >
> ><quote>
> >Urban foraging
> >
> >Salad daze
> >
> >Hipsters are foraging for greens in urban parks
> >
> >Dec 13th 2014 | SANTA BARBARA
> >
> >SHOPPING for salad in supermarkets is too easy. A bag of ready-washed
> >baby greens costs only $3 at Walmart, and takes no time to lift from
> >the shelf. So a new breed of foodie spends hours foraging for plants
> >in city parks and vacant lots. For what can compare with the joy of
> >ripping up the roots of a mallow plant and eating the mucus they
> >produce when boiled? Many wild American plants are edible but
> >unavailable in supermarkets: dandelion, pig weed, bull thistle, skunk
> >vine. But not everyone recognises them. Enter the foraging gurus, who
> >teach hipsters how to pluck on the wild side.
>
> (...)
>
> Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall made a TV series - A Cook on the Wild Side
> - about this, almost twenty years ago.
>
Anyone who wishes can harvest as much of this stuff from my garden as
they wish.
http://blog.chestnutherbs.com/wp-con...9/IMG_4309.jpg
>
> --
> Bruce

--Bryan

On 12/13/2014 2:41 AM, Opinicus wrote:
> Many wild American plants are edible but
> unavailable in supermarkets: dandelion, pig weed, bull thistle, skunk
> vine. But not everyone recognises them. Enter the foraging gurus, who
> teach hipsters how to pluck on the wild side.
(snip stuff)

Dandelion and other greens were poor Depression era food. Now it's all
trendy and expensive. Heh.

"Enter the foraging gurus, who teach hipsters how to pluck on the wild
side."

Hipsters? Wanna be hippies. A comment is "Wild food tastes better than
you might expect, enthusiasts say."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement. No thanks for foraging in the park
or my back yard. I'll just buy food from the farm stand and the grocery
store.

Jill

On 12/13/2014 7:46 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
>
> I like the implied assurance that my greens have not been peed upon by
> every dog that lives within 500 yards of those vacant lots and city
> parks.
>
> -sw
>
Excellent point.

Jill

On Sat, 13 Dec 2014 18:46:24 -0600, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Sat, 13 Dec 2014 09:41:35 +0200, Opinicus wrote:
>
>> SHOPPING for salad in supermarkets is too easy. A bag of ready-washed
>> baby greens costs only $3 at Walmart, and takes no time to lift from
>> the shelf. So a new breed of foodie spends hours foraging for plants
>> in city parks and vacant lots.
>
>I like the implied assurance that my greens have not been peed upon by
>every dog that lives within 500 yards of those vacant lots and city
>parks.
Dog and other critter pee is no biggie. You prefer they're peed on by
illegal wetbacks... every veggie you buy where you live is peed (and
shit on) by illegals... if you think they don't pick their nose
boogers and wipe em on your peppers you're nuts... hope you enjoy that
those greasers ejaculate on your strawberries

On 12/13/2014 2:41 AM, Opinicus wrote:
> Free food @ $30 an excursion.
>
> <quote>
> Urban foraging
>
> Salad daze
>
> Hipsters are foraging for greens in urban parks

> SHOPPING for salad in supermarkets is too easy. A bag of ready-washed
> baby greens costs only $3 at Walmart, and takes no time to lift from
> the shelf. So a new breed of foodie spends hours foraging for plants
> in city parks and vacant lots.

Reminds me of my ex's grandmother, she'd make fried cardoon
once in a while. She'd go pick them by the side of some
urban bridge. I loved them but in the back of my mind I knew
they must have seen a lot of truck exhaust in their time. No one
seemed worried about it.

nancy

jmcquown > wrote:
> On 12/13/2014 7:46 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>> I like the implied assurance that my greens have not been peed upon by
>> every dog that lives within 500 yards of those vacant lots and city
>> parks.
>>
>> -sw
>>
> Excellent point.
>
> Jill

Fox, coyote, deer, and raccoon pee is much more nutritious.

On Sat, 13 Dec 2014 21:30:04 -0500, Nancy Young
> wrote:

>On 12/13/2014 2:41 AM, Opinicus wrote:
>> Free food @ $30 an excursion.
>>
>> <quote>
>> Urban foraging
>>
>> Salad daze
>>
>> Hipsters are foraging for greens in urban parks
>
>> SHOPPING for salad in supermarkets is too easy. A bag of ready-washed
>> baby greens costs only $3 at Walmart, and takes no time to lift from
>> the shelf. So a new breed of foodie spends hours foraging for plants
>> in city parks and vacant lots.
>
>Reminds me of my ex's grandmother, she'd make fried cardoon
>once in a while. She'd go pick them by the side of some
>urban bridge. I loved them but in the back of my mind I knew
>they must have seen a lot of truck exhaust in their time. No one
>seemed worried about it.

This entire planet is polluted, there is no clean air/water... the
last thing to worry about is some bird or other critter pooping on
your honeydews.

On Sun, 14 Dec 2014 03:25:38 +0000 (UTC), Oregonian Haruspex
> wrote:

>jmcquown > wrote:
>> On 12/13/2014 7:46 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>
>>> I like the implied assurance that my greens have not been peed upon by
>>> every dog that lives within 500 yards of those vacant lots and city
>>> parks.
>>>
>>> -sw
>>>
>> Excellent point.
>>
>> Jill
>
>Fox, coyote, deer, and raccoon pee is much more nutritious.

As is bird poop... every piece of produce ever eaten was pooped on by
some birdie... and you don't even want to think about insect poop
*inside* your produce. And yoose nincompoops paying double and
tripple for organic, if there is no insect evidence, woim holes, and
critter nips it ain't organic... damn low IQ fools.

On Sat, 13 Dec 2014 21:34:00 -0600, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Sun, 14 Dec 2014 03:25:38 +0000 (UTC), Oregonian Haruspex wrote:
>
>> jmcquown > wrote:
>>> On 12/13/2014 7:46 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I like the implied assurance that my greens have not been peed upon by
>>>> every dog that lives within 500 yards of those vacant lots and city
>>>> parks.
>>>>
>>> Excellent point.
>>
>> Fox, coyote, deer, and raccoon pee is much more nutritious.
>
>Yeah - lots of fox, coyote, and deer in those inner city vacant lots
>and parks.
>
>-sw

I'd rather deer poop than rabid rat shit and plague carrying
cockaroaches.

On 12/14/2014 11:18 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Sun, 14 Dec 2014 03:25:38 +0000 (UTC), Oregonian Haruspex
> > wrote:
>
>> jmcquown > wrote:
>>> On 12/13/2014 7:46 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I like the implied assurance that my greens have not been peed upon by
>>>> every dog that lives within 500 yards of those vacant lots and city
>>>> parks.
>>>>
>>>> -sw
>>>>
>>> Excellent point.
>>>
>>> Jill
>>
>> Fox, coyote, deer, and raccoon pee is much more nutritious.
>
> As is bird poop... every piece of produce ever eaten was pooped on by
> some birdie... and you don't even want to think about insect poop
> *inside* your produce. And yoose nincompoops paying double and
> tripple for organic, if there is no insect evidence, woim holes, and
> critter nips it ain't organic... damn low IQ fools.
>
I mostly buy produce from the local farm stand. When I buy cabbage, for
example, I don't get grossed out because I find a worm or grub in one of
the cabbage leaves. These farmers don't even claim to be "organic"
farmers. I don't know anyone who doesn't wash produce before using it.

This idea of paying someone to show people how to forage in public parks
and urban lots is yet another trendy fad. Some people have more money
than sense.

Jill

In article >, gravesend10
@verizon.net says...

> I'd rather deer poop than rabid rat shit and plague carrying
> cockaroaches.

LOL. Those rabid rats already gotcha, Sheldon.

Janet UK

Janet.ugh wrote:

>Brooklyn1 writes:
>
>> I'd rather deer poop than rabid rat shit and plague carrying
>> cockaroaches.
>
> LOL. Those rabid rats already gotcha, Sheldon.

No rabies here, we all have our shots... this morning little Candi was
spayed and got her rabies vaccine... she's in the recuperation room
now:
http://i62.tinypic.com/20qe2vl.jpg
http://i57.tinypic.com/29ej9dx.jpg
Four more to trap.

Brooklyn1 wrote in message:

> Janet.ugh wrote:
>
>>Brooklyn1 writes:
>>
>>> I'd rather deer poop than rabid rat shit and plague carrying
>>> cockaroaches.
>>
>> LOL. Those rabid rats already gotcha, Sheldon.
>
> No rabies here, we all have our shots... this morning little Candi was
> spayed and got her rabies vaccine... she's in the recuperation room
> now:
> http://i62.tinypic.com/20qe2vl.jpg
> http://i57.tinypic.com/29ej9dx.jpg
> Four more to trap.

How are you going to take care of all these cats when you die?

On 12/13/2014 1:55 AM, Bruce wrote:
> On Sat, 13 Dec 2014 09:41:35 +0200, Opinicus
> > wrote:
>
>> Free food @ $30 an excursion.
>>
>> <quote>
>> Urban foraging
>>
>> Salad daze
>>
>> Hipsters are foraging for greens in urban parks
>>
>> Dec 13th 2014 | SANTA BARBARA
>>
>> SHOPPING for salad in supermarkets is too easy. A bag of ready-washed
>> baby greens costs only $3 at Walmart, and takes no time to lift from
>> the shelf. So a new breed of foodie spends hours foraging for plants
>> in city parks and vacant lots. For what can compare with the joy of
>> ripping up the roots of a mallow plant and eating the mucus they
>> produce when boiled? Many wild American plants are edible but
>> unavailable in supermarkets: dandelion, pig weed, bull thistle, skunk
>> vine. But not everyone recognises them. Enter the foraging gurus, who
>> teach hipsters how to pluck on the wild side.
>
> (...)
>
> Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall made a TV series - A Cook on the Wild Side
> - about this, almost twenty years ago.
>

And Euell Gibbons published best sellers about it in the 60s and 70s.
See "Stalking the Wild Asparagus", which was the book that got me
started on identifying edible wild plants when I was kid.

Everything old is new again.

On 12/13/2014 6:46 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sat, 13 Dec 2014 09:41:35 +0200, Opinicus wrote:
>
>> SHOPPING for salad in supermarkets is too easy. A bag of ready-washed
>> baby greens costs only $3 at Walmart, and takes no time to lift from
>> the shelf. So a new breed of foodie spends hours foraging for plants
>> in city parks and vacant lots.
>
> I like the implied assurance that my greens have not been peed upon by
> every dog that lives within 500 yards of those vacant lots and city
> parks.
>

Back when I worked for the seed company, one of our customers was a
guy who lived in the inner city, where there were plenty of vacant
lots in his neighborhood. He bought collard and kale seeds from us and
just strewed them in the empty lots. What plants grew, he harvested
and peddled around his neighborhood. He said it was a cheap and easy
way for him to make extra money on the side.

On 12/14/2014 10:25 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> On 12/14/2014 11:18 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>> On Sun, 14 Dec 2014 03:25:38 +0000 (UTC), Oregonian Haruspex
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> jmcquown > wrote:
>>>> On 12/13/2014 7:46 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I like the implied assurance that my greens have not been peed
>>>>> upon by
>>>>> every dog that lives within 500 yards of those vacant lots and city
>>>>> parks.
>>>>>
>>>>> -sw
>>>>>
>>>> Excellent point.
>>>>
>>>> Jill
>>>
>>> Fox, coyote, deer, and raccoon pee is much more nutritious.
>>
>> As is bird poop... every piece of produce ever eaten was pooped on by
>> some birdie... and you don't even want to think about insect poop
>> *inside* your produce. And yoose nincompoops paying double and
>> tripple for organic, if there is no insect evidence, woim holes, and
>> critter nips it ain't organic... damn low IQ fools.
>>
> I mostly buy produce from the local farm stand. When I buy cabbage,
> for example, I don't get grossed out because I find a worm or grub in
> one of the cabbage leaves. These farmers don't even claim to be
> "organic" farmers. I don't know anyone who doesn't wash produce
> before using it.
>
> This idea of paying someone to show people how to forage in public
> parks and urban lots is yet another trendy fad. Some people have more
> money than sense.

As I mentioned in another post, it's actually a resurrected fad,
mostly likely brought back as a result of the locavore movement. Even
if you don't eat it (and much of it is edible only when it is very
young, or after it has gone through repeated cooking/treatment to
render it edible), just being able to identify plants in your area is
a worthwhile thing to learn. Coming up next: people sickened by
picking and eating nasty or poisonous plants, or plants that haven't
been properly prepared to render them edible.