FORAGING



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The mission of Free Food New Zealand is no less than the widespread and free access to fresh and naturally grown food, for everyone. In a way that is in balance with nature.
Free Food New Zealand is dedicated to the widespread planting and mapping of free food bearing plants within public space.

Try picking a weed for your salad

Last updated 09:53 25/09/2009 (below are quotes from the article)

There is no organised foraging group in Taranaki, says Kama Burwell of the Taranaki Environmental Education Centre in Inglewood, although informal networks exist.

New Plymouth District Council has public orchards where people can gather fruit. Parks manager Mark Bruhn says that people are free to take the fruit, but are asked to limit themselves to their own needs. "It's there for the whole community. There's quite a range of heritage varieties, so there are some quite unique trees there. It's a chance for people to reminisce and see some of the old varieties."

The council orchards on public land in New Plymouth are the Bayly Road Orchard (by Mangaotuku Stream Esplanade Reserve), Brois Street (Sheppard's Bush Reserve) and Milne Place (Milne Place Walkway). In Waitara, there is an orchard on Strange Street (Barclay Park).  

In South Taranaki, there are several areas where free fruit will be available in years to come. A number of apple and plum trees have been planted on Hawera streets in the past two or three years, and a new edible garden is being planned as part of the development of King Edward Park, curator David Bruce says.

Otaki wild foods enthusiast Steve Porteous, who with partner Jenny Lindberg runs courses teaching people about nature, survival and gathering food. His own interest began years ago with dandelions, as he was pulling them out of his garden.

Steve Porteous says people interested in eating wild plants should research them first through books, libraries, talking to other people and using the internet. New Zealand author Andrew Crowe has written several good identification guides, including one for edible native plants, he says. There's no packet listing ingredients in wild food, so knowing what you are eating is vital.

Steve and Jenny will be holding workshops in Taranaki early next year.
Some of these will be aimed at teachers and other people who work with children, to enthuse them about teaching children about the natural world. Other topics to be covered include basic survival and nature awareness and "lost-proofing" people.
The workshops are being organised by the Taranaki Environmental Education Centre in Inglewood. 

CONCEPT
Wild Picnic 
A gallery of edible and useful wild plants, here in Wellington, NZ 
created by Johanna Knox. 

Foraging Safely (mostly just common sense) - from Wild Picnic
* If in doubt, don't eat it.
* Avoid foraging from roadsides and polluted places.
(My rule of thumb is - would I plant a vegetable garden here?)
* Avoid areas that may have been recently sprayed with herbicide.
(Although harvesting new growth from areas that have been sprayed in the past should be okay.)
* Get permission before foraging on someone else's property, including farmland.
* Get to know as many of our poisonous plants as you can, so you know what to avoid. Here's a great online resource from Landcare Research.
* Harvest sustainably

Try eating weeds.  Johanna Knox shows us how to rustle up a meal out of wild greenery
  
Whether you're just thinking about starting to forage, or you have years of knowledge and experience that you may be willing to share,
and whether you're an occasional forager, or someone for whom it is an integral part of your lifestyle or career, we hope you'll find something of value here.
May the list spread enthusiasm for wild foraging, and continue to propagate some of its inherent ideas, including self-reliance and sustainability.
 

Plants For A Future is a resource centre for rare and unusual plants, particularly those which have edible, medicinal or other uses. 
Edible, medicinal and useful plants for a healthier world (7000 plant database)

Medicinal Herbs and Wild Foods
MAPPING
Edible Wellington - A Gatherer's Guide


https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FHNpbGaGuhm0-hHt_LT7RESxNo5xP_Ia-n9t8CZYZ5I02p5d5QbyoVBTswdrCn15nQEtbvbWZyE47Ct-9-2pnHNklHoh1UZS7wEzP-KE719toX7ts5s2ntRfpw8o9StMEliqQB8IWU9v/s400/forage+map.png
This map shows fruit trees and other edible goodies available to Wellington gatherers.
Please add to it and include as much info as possible

Edible Wild Fungi and Food information
Free Food New Zealand Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/cjJ8Qb
Free Food New Zealand Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/aY3NUl
If you are an expert on such things, or know of one, please contact
me at fredd@freefood.org.nz
I am thinking of putting together a workshop/guided tour/nature walk
on wild food in the area.


OpenStreetMap is a free editable map of the whole world.
It is made by people like you.
OpenStreetMap allows you to view, edit and use geographical data in a collaborative way from anywhere on Earth.
Locavore365.org is where you can buy, sell, swap or give away locally grown produce. Locavore365.org is a free site with two goals; to enable people anywhere in the world, find or advertise, locally produced food. And to help develop and strengthen  local communities






Native Foraging

Edible New Zealand Natives

Recipes with Natives

Native Plants for Food and Flavouring


http://ooooby.ning.com
Edible New Zealand Natives
Comment by Sam Buchanan on July 22, 2010 at 3:49pm
Ah - here's the gen on seaweed (from my brother via the whenuaforthepeople.org.nz website). It's acid not acrid, and brown/green, not red : ) "There are, as far as I know, no really poisonous seaweeds, although one genus of brown algae, Desmarestia, is highly acidic. This seaweed is found in New Zealand (it is reasonably common around Wellington,although usually in deeper water and found in drift on the shore). After a little storage it turns green and exudes acid that breaks down any other seaweeds it is in contact with. A little nibble will put you off this immediately - it is very acidic. "Otherwise most seaweeds can be eaten, although most are just not palatable (too tough or tasteless). Common edible seaweeds are Macrocystis (used in kelp 'peppers' or kelp chips), Porphyra (Karengo, the same genus as nori used in sushi) and various seaweeds used to make jellies (e.g. Pterocladia, Gigartina). Bull kelp (Durvillaea) is added to stews in Chile, but takes a fair bit ofcooking. I also use dried Gigartina decipiens as a clearing agent in home brewed beer." 
In addition to Andrew Crowe, the book Economic Native Plants in New Zealand by S. G. Brooker et al (which in the 2nd edition became New Zealand's Economic Native Plants by R.C. Cooper et al, just to be confusing) is worth a look - it focusses on growing natives commercially, as opposed to the 'what you can eat on a bush walk' focus of Crowe. The discussion of the possibility of a cabbage tree-based sugar industry has always intrigued me. The imposing Maori Healing and Herbal by Murdoch Riley is the ultimate sourcebook for medicinals, and Nancy Adams' Seaweeds of New Zealand is the champion for identifying those salty not-quite-real-plants things. I don't know if there's anything particularly good on eating NZ seaweed, but they are all technically edible, except for that one very acrid reddish species I can't remember the name of. In any case, a small nibble will immediately put you off it with no real harm done. MAPING Community Gardens http://good.net.nz/magazine/community-gardens community gardens

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