Foraging is a great way to save money on your shopping bill. I enjoy foraging at this time of year, Blackberry season is my favourite. I picked almost 3 kilograms of wild blackberries in the past two outings. It has saved me a lot of money considering they sell for £16 per kilo at the supermarket! Do you forage? What foods have you foraged for?
We always used to go blackberry picking when I was a child. My mother still does. She get kilos and kilos of them. Most of them she turns into really yummy jam which she sells for charity. Unfortunately, there's not many blackberries where I live now. I know some people collect elder flowers and their berries, and wild garlic too. I've been meaning to do so myself this year but haven't gotten around to it. I live very near the coast and there's often people collecting shellfish and seaweeds at low tide. I'de love to do some of that myself but I wouldn't know where to start and I don't know anyone I could ask. Foraging used to be very common as a way of supplementing the family diet, but it seems we've lost most of those skills now. It's a shame, really.
I have not found alot of foraging (in the traditional sense) in Southern California. Growing up in the midwest we picked elderberries, mulberries and even greens (like mustard greens or dandelions). The good think though in California is the trees people have in their yards are so abundent we all share. I can get oranges, limes, figs, avocados and even loquat in our trading. Fun to trade and not pay a dime!
I haven't gone foraging yet, but maybe someday I'll try it out for mushrooms! I've always wanted to try morels. However, I'd probably just keep it limited to that kind of mushroom, as I'm not expert and could possibly pick and bring home something poisonous. :x
