With summer in full swing, you-pick farms have been seeing customers picking their own fruits and vegetables across the state. From blueberries and strawberries to tomatoes and asparagus, many people have opted for gathering their produce themselves.
For some, this food gathering goes beyond the farm. In recent years, many people have been turning to wild berry foraging. Instead of grocery stores, these foragers seek out fresh fruits, nuts and herbs from local hiking trails or even off the side of the road.
“I’ve been in the foraging space for about 25 years, and I can say without a doubt the interest in wild foods has grown tremendously,” wild food forager Lisa Rose said.
Rose has been foraging since she was young, and is the author of multiple books about Midwest foraging and wild food recipes. She attributes the pandemic to the growth in foraging interest.
“It's been this groundswell, particularly since the pandemic. It really rattled a lot of people's interest in their own personal abilities to be able to care for themselves and their families in times of crisis,” she said. “As well as the simple desire to be able to have authority and control over what they eat and what they bring into their kitchen.”
Cheyenne Sloan, a blueberry and small fruit educator at Michigan State University Extension, said she has seen a similar growth of interest in you-pick farms.
“Agritourism like you-picks are one of the best tools for growers to help add humanity back into the food system,” she said.
She explained there has been a growing disconnect between consumers and their food sources since the Industrial Revolution and the start of big grocery stores.
“The interest in foraging definitely has something to do with people wanting to reclaim ownership over their food,” Sloan said. “We all eat every day. And I can definitely see the fear of not understanding where your food comes or how it gets there. By being able to forage and find your own things, it's kind of like giving yourself a sense of independence.”
Sloan said she often finds herself eating wild mulberries, sometimes finding them on the side of the road on her walk to work.
“As a small fruit enthusiast, I have spent quite a bit of time wandering around the forest with some of my other plant friends looking for and eating berries,” she said.
Rose often uses her wild berries in recipes like jams, pies and spritzers.
“When it's high summer berries season, it's really easy, fun and accessible,” she said.
Sloan recommends people take foraging classes or go with an expert to make sure they are allowed to gather food on the land they are on, and to know when something is okay to eat.
“If you're starting your foraging journey or your plant identification journey, go with someone who knows more than you and don't rely on plant ID apps. Especially if you're going to eat something,” she said.
Rose teaches foraging classes in the Grand Rapids area, where she shows people how to go about gathering wild food and plants. She said beyond teaching where to forage and what to look out for, she tries to help people become aware of their surroundings and the history and ecology of the land.
“It's a really important way of connecting to the natural world,” she said. “It gives me such a sense of place and such a sense of connection.”
