The Urban Permaculture Farm Magazine

On my walks in my neighborhood with our dog, I am forced to stop every once in a while for the dog to sniff around or do his business. This forces me to slow down from my normally hurried pace and pay attention to what is around me. Since I have been looking at our local foodshed from a variety of perspectives, I thought about what I can find growing within a few blocks from my home; in other words, urban foraging. There is much information on foraging for food in the wild, but I am going to stick to an urban setting.

I live in an older neighborhood dating back to the 1940's. Nature has had some time to reclaim her space and because houses were built in onesies and twosies, the area was not clear cut as is done with so many new developments.

I decided that first I needed to inventory what I have found in my walks. I had noticed that one of my neighbors around the block has pear tree in her front yard that yields a tremendous amount of pears. She has put up a sign on the tree that says "free" along with bags for folks passing by to stop and take some home. This was an easy one to find! Ok, so now on the quick map I drew, I can add the pears. You may want to write down when the fruit is ready and other observations as an easy reference.

I also discovered within a 4 block radius from my home wild raspberries, black walnuts, apples, mulberries and pecans. Not bad for just being observant when I am out and about.

I have adapted rules on urban foraging from the book The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen.

These are my rules:

1. Do you know what is that you are gathering? Can you recognize poisonous plants that are native to your area? If you have any doubt, pick up a good guide such as The Forager's Harvest by Sam Thayer to help you identify local plants that are edible.

2. Found out what kind of pesticides or herbicides are used near or around the food? Ask the owners? Do you see a lawn service spraying on the property next to it?

3. Do you have permission? This is a great way to get to know your neighbors. Maybe the property is too much for the person living there. You might just learn some history about your neighborhood (I found out that my area used to be a pecan grove). Offer to barter - maybe you pick the berries and make some jam in return for the owner. You could start a neighborhood trend!

So, do you want to learn more about your unique food-shed? Check out community garden or master gardeners. They may be a good resource for locating foraging experts in your area. For on-line resources, check out http://foraging.com/.

There's a whole other world out there for local foods! Find what treasures are hidden in your neighborhood!