It
used to be that there were no roadside food
stands,
supermarkets, restaurants or convenience stores.
When you were hungry, you went out into the great
outdoors and found something to eat. You picked
greens, berries, and fruit that grew in fields,
on bushes,
in marshes, and on trees. Likewise, when you were
sick, you sought remedies that nature provided.
Offerings from the land thus became the source
for
health and survival for many cultures throughout
the
centuries.
While
finding and harvesting food from the great
outdoors may not be popular much less practiced
by
the general public today, increasing numbers of
people
are 'getting back to nature' and becoming
'foragers,' i.e.
people who hunt for wild edibles that grow in
fields,
forests, streams, and on trees.
Since
learning about foraging and its benefits many
years ago, this Health Minister has become an
avid
'food finder.' It is no secret that my enthusiasm
for
finding nutritious 'free range food' is a way of
life for
me. The progression from organic gardening to
foraging was natural for me. It was also
practical in
terms of convenience and economics. After all,
food
that grows wild is free!
With
the first sign of spring, therefore, I can be
seen
roaming our over-grown 'wild' backyard and local
fields
in search of baby greens, herbs, medicinal
plants,
berries, and assorted roots and shoots, all of
which
make their way into meals and the medicine chest.
Summer
sojourns at our ministry cottage afford yet
another foraging opportunity as I walk the woods
and camp roads to see what healthy fare I can
find.
I call this venture my 'summer sport.' While most
people are boating, swimming, water skiing,
tubing,
and jogging, I saunter in search of wild edibles.
To
on-lookers, I might appear as the Sherlock Holmes
of the forest. Nevertheless, I regard my summer
foraging as a fun and healthy experience.
This
year my forest-finds largely focused on
mushrooms. While I do not eat mushrooms, I do
enjoy finding, inspecting, and identifying these
natural wonders. From what I gathered (literally)
it looked to be an exceptional year for mushrooms
which I found surprising since it was an
unusually
dry summer in Maine. No matter where I walked,
mushrooms of assorted varieties were growing
everywhere!
Thus
my summer became a healthy, up-close-and-
personal adventure as I 'shroomed' the woods and
cottage roads. With camera in hand and foraging
tools at my side, I traipsed the land in search
of new finds.
I looked, I poked, and I picked. It was an
exercise that
turned out to be an education of many sorts.
This
being said, follow me as I share highlights of
my forest foraging adventures this summer.
Let's go...
