Story by Eva Antonel
Photos courtesy of Rashel Tremblay, Locally Germinated
Foraging Fever
Who knew that all those early summer walks along the LaSalle trail and stopping
by every low hanging mulberry tree branch to stuff our mouths with juice berries
had a name? Now that I think about it, foraging has been a part of my family's
experience for longer than I care to admit. My husband still remembers, as a
child in the 1960s , scanning the sides of ditches from a slow-moving car, and
hopping out with a bag and knife to load up on wild asparagus. His father, too,
often came home with bags of pears from a nearby abandoned orchard. They
made for delicious snacks and desserts which always tasted sweeter due to their
freshness and illicit origins. Whether you enjoy picking wildflowers for your
kitchen table or hunting for wild asparagus or dandelion leaves for your evening
meal, you're participating in a ritual that’s experiencing somewhat of a revival in
this part of the world.