Calling All Urban Foragers!
Oregon grape preservesEarlier this month, I took a native herbs class at the Cedar River Watershed, taught by local herb book author and Seattle parks gardener Mary Preus. I'll be posting more pictures and information from that event soon; in the meantime, the picture that accompanies this post is a preserve that Mary made from urban foraged Oregon grapes.
At the class, I met another Seattleite named Lauren, and we got to talking about a project she is working on to collect information on urban foraging. I offered to post the info on the project here, so here you go!
If you are an urban forager, check it out and please consider getting in touch to help the research in this social science project!
From Lauren:
Do you gather wild plants, mushrooms, fruits, nuts, or berries in Seattle for food, art, medicine or other purposes? If so, we’d like to talk with you! Purpose People gather plants and mushrooms for a variety of reasons, including the economic, cultural, subsistence, and other benefits they provide. But we recognize that the foraging/gathering of wild and naturalized plants and mushrooms is a practice not often discussed as an activity that takes place in urban areas. We are interested in learning about the diversity of plant and mushroom species that are gathered in Seattle, the ways these materials are used (as food, medicine, crafts, tools, etc.), and the motivations for gathering. Who We Are We are group of social science researchers at the Institute for Culture and Ecology (a non-profit organization whose mission is to conduct collaborative, interdisciplinary research-based initiatives to foster vibrant and resilient livelihoods, communities, and ecosystems; www.ifcae.org ). We are seeking to improve our understanding of how urban residents connect with nature and the role that foraging and gleaning plays in fostering these connections. Ways to Participate in this Project Please Contact Us for More Info & To See How You Can Participate
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Reader Comments (1)
Thank you for this message! Anyone reading this who has further interest in urban foraging, please check "Seattle Eats Weeds" yahoo group (still in its infancy) at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/seattle_eats_weeds/