Meet Leda Meredith, author of The Locavore's Handbook and one of New York City's most well-known urban foragers. We visited Prospect Park in Brooklyn to see what wild crops were available to add a spritz of early-spring into her locally-farmed storage vegetables the farmers are still selling from last fall. Needless to say, even in the freezing cold, we found more than enough foraged goods out there for just the two of us.
Urban foraging is a fun way to get to know the wild and edible vegetation that line our urban parks and green spaces. You can take classes from Leda throughout the year where she can train you in plant identification and cooking techniques. All in all, it's a hands-on way to explore your city parks with, what I like to call, "survival skills". But, seriously, once you're in the know, it certainly makes you more aware when taking a stroll; wild goodies will seem always just an arm's length away or a quick detour off the beaten path.
So, come watch the video and take in what we found! Don't forget to stop by for Part II, later this week, where I'll show you exactly what Leda and I cooked up with her wild greens harvest.
Thanks for watching food. curated.! Happy Eating!
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Concerning the comment about toxic soil in urban parks, heavy metals, the main contaminants, settle within 50 feet of heavy traffic, and there are plenty of areas from from this that are safe. I've been foraging in urban and suburban parks for decades, along with thousands of participants who have joined me every year since 1982, and neither I or any of the tour participants have ever been poisoned. It's the agricultural sprays on agricultural products, and the runoff in rural areas, that present the real danger.
In addition to the excellent resources mentioned in other posts, you can visit my site, wildmanstevebrill.com, get signed copies of my books, or download my new app, WildEdibles, from the iTunes Store.
Happy Foraging!
"Wildman" Steve Brill