Wild Foods Abound
WordPress database error: [You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'natural join
where .taxonomy = 'post_tag'
and .term_taxonomy_id in (selec' at line 5]
SELECT *, (bodyscore * 1 + titlescore * 1 + tagscore * 1 + catscore * 1) AS score
from (
select ID, post_title, post_date, post_content, (MATCH (post_content) AGAINST ('wild foods com sorrel http www hedge group edible chicago etc montrose side meetup raw away foraging lake start liver')) as bodyscore, (MATCH (post_title) AGAINST ('abound foods wild')) as titlescore, ifnull(catscore,0) as catscore, ifnull(tagscore,0) as tagscore
from wp_posts left join (
select count(*) as tagscore, object_id from natural join
where .taxonomy = 'post_tag'
and .term_taxonomy_id in (select term_taxonomy_id from where object_id = '34')
group by object_id
) as matchtags on (wp_posts.ID = matchtags.object_id)
left join (
select count(*) as catscore, object_id from natural join
where .taxonomy = 'category'
and .term_taxonomy_id in (select term_taxonomy_id from where object_id = '34')
group by object_id
) as matchcats on (wp_posts.ID = matchcats.object_id)
where ((post_status IN ( 'publish', 'static' ) && ID != '34') and post_date <= '2008-08-27 16:14:39' and post_password ='' and post_type IN ('post') )
) as rawscores where (bodyscore * 1 + titlescore * 1 + tagscore * 1 + catscore * 1) >= 5 and catscore >= 2 order by score DESC limit 5
(<–wild dandelion greens found in my front yard–very good for your liver)
Many of us have probably heard about the benefits of wild foods for years (or months) now since getting into the raw foods lifestyle: they have up to 50 times more nutrients and minerals than conventional foods and way more then organic foods as well, they can be found all around us, they’re F-R-E-E, they are always at the peak of freshness, and they have many medicinal properties latent in wild food. And if you’re like me you’ve probably been pushing this off for quite awhile because 1) you live in a polluted city and it’s not quite safe to eat foods growing right next to sidewalks or streets 2) it’s seems rather hippy-ish and “out-there”, and 3) you haven’t the SLIGHTEST idea what is edible what these foods look like and don’t really want to accidentally poison yourself!
Well good news–now is as good a time as ever to start–TRULY–AND it’s really not as hard as you think. September is one of the best foraging months of the year and there are tons of resources out there for you to start learning–websites, www.youtube.com, and meetup events. A friend of mine is quite into this and just last weekend foraged BAGS of wild grapes and apples, wild plums, some raspberries, sumac bobs, purslane, lambsquarters, burdock, lemon sorrel, and more.
One of the best ways to get started is to learn a handful of tasty, and easy to find/easily identifiable edibles. Recommended is sorrel (wood sorrel, lemon sorrel, sheep sorrel, etc.), lambsquarters (pick away from runoff/100 feet from roads/away from pesticides etc. as this plant absorbs a lot), purslane, wild grapes (including the grape leaves for dolmathes or just in salads and smoothies, very tangy and delicious, and oh so nutritious!), plantain, any of the wild mints (easy to find, including catnip, which, if eaten or rubbed on the skin, help with the mosquitoes), dandelion, any of the docks ( e.g. curly dock, burdock, etc), clover, chickweed, chicory, and thistles (lots of pink/purple Canadian thistles to be found everywhere, great for the liver, tasty as pesto base. The great thing about starting with this list is that there aren’t really poisonous look-a-likes, so it is easy to go from description and picture out to your yard or nearby park.
Ready to get started? Not quite sure you have that much nearby your apartment or house? The Magic Hedge is “a somewhat secret place, of trees, shrubs and grasses on a small hill at sandy, wind-swept Montrose Point on the Lake Michigan shoreline along Chicago’s north side.” From Montrose Avenue, east of Lake Shore Drive, turn right on Montrose Harbor Drive. At the first curve in the road, a small hill can be seen to the east; the Hedge is right there. A “Magic Hedge” sign is on the south side of the area; other signs denoting the area as a migratory bird habitat can be found on the Hedge’s north side. Here’s a good map too.
JP, one of the Chicago raw food community’s best foraging experts, is actually going to give our local Go Raw Chicago group the tour around here and show us some edible wild foods so that we can identify them and get them whenever we want or see them in the future. Join the Go Raw Chicago meetup group for more info and to RSVP for this awesome meetup event if you’re local and can make it out on the 22nd!
Here are some fantastic websites to check out for more info, pictures, and how to eat (which parts are edible and the most nutritious):
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ForageAhead/
http://www.edibleplants.com/weplinks.htm#top
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/
http://www.foragersharvest.com/
http://www.youtube.com (search for wild foods)
Happy Foraging!
~Lenette
No related posts.