This Week's Woodland Grocery Specials

Chickweed

Spring is in the air! The snow is melting, the sap is running, and the birds and frogs are starting to sing. It must be time to start foraging, right? Not really! This is actually the leanest time of the year. The new spring greens aren't growing yet, and most of the plants are stripped bare of nuts and seeds after a long, cold winter. I spent about an hour and a half wandering around a 60-acre property, and found about enough food to make one (very unappetizing and nutritionally poor) meal- some plantain, chickweed, garlic mustard, a few walnuts, and a downed pine branch. And if I harvested that meal, I wouldn't be able to eat another meal off that same 60 acres again until the new growth really starts coming up. What's out there represents the last of the food until the growing season is in full swing. That's why this time of year was traditionally called the Starving Moon. Hunter-Gatherer and Agrarian societies depended heavily on food stores this time of year. I made a little video of my finds for you guys, check it out.

While I have your attention, I'd just like to tell you a little bit about Foraging 101, a class that will be starting on April 1. Foraging 101 is a 7-month interactive online foraging class designed for growing zones 4-6 east of the Mississippi. This class teaches over 100 plants and mushrooms, along with all the skills you need to become a successful forager. If you are interested in learning more about the class, click here.

Want to learn more about foraging in the Great Lakes Area? Read other blog posts and subscribe to the blog here. Or sign up for upcoming camps and classes here. You can also subscribe to Will Forage for Food on YouTube, follow @Will_Forage_for_Food on TikTok and #willforageforfood on IG, join the Will Forage for Food Facebook Group, and (if you're in southern Michigan, northern Ohio, or northern Indiana) sign up with your local Will Forage for Food Meetups.