“There’s a joking name - white man’s footprint - because indigenous groups realized that the plant followed behind the settlers,” says Nelson. Not to be confused with the banana-like fruit, plantago major and plantago lanceolata are weeds found all over the country. Valentina R./Adobe Stock margo555/Adobe Stock Vera Kuttelvaserova/Adobe Stock Plantain Juniper berries, plantain leaves, and spruce. “If it’s on the dog-pee side of the sidewalk, you do you.” “Be smart about where you’re gathering,” though. “They’re really good for you,” says Nelson, who suggests using the leaves in a salad. You’ll get these delicious fritters - savory on the outside, sweet and floral on the inside.” They’re full of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as iron. “Then I would take them home and dip them into cornbread batter and give them a bake or a fry. “If we’re lucky to find a dandelion that’s already blooming, I would bask in their sunshine,” says Nelson. They’re super-tasty.”ĭandelions are the perfect foraging food - tasty, nutritious, and versatile. “You can eat them right off the plant - the seeds, too,” says Nelson. She likes them for their tenderness - which they maintain throughout the summer, “a rarity for a lot of greens” - and because they’re high in B6. “In a blind taste test, I would not be able to tell the difference,” says Nelson.

Sometimes called “wild spinach,” this plant is a double for the supermarket staple. “Those were definitely sprayed with herbicides and pesticides, and your stomach will get mad at you.”Īnton Ignatenco/Adobe Stock Ortis/Adobe Stock Scisetti Alfio/Adobe Stock Lambsquarters “Also, don’t eat the roses that you picked up at the grocery store,” warns Nelson. In order to get the full properties, use it when its scent is still strong and lingering. “I love making rose water each summer, when the first roses are in full bloom,” says Nelson, who adds that rose hips, the fruit that forms after a rose gets pollinated, are high in vitamin C and make a great tea.

Although the petals are edible, boiling them and condensing the steam makes rose water, which is common in Middle Eastern desserts and can be used on your skin and hair. ”Here in Ohio, if you give wild roses an inch, they’ll take 17 miles,” says Nelson. Roses are more than a romantic gesture, they’re a tasty addition to meals. Here, Nelson suggests 10 common plants that you can forage.

Foraging feels like tapping back into a practice that we just forgot about for a couple of generations.” “So much foraging knowledge was being passed around during slavery, because if you weren’t creative with the meager amount of food you were given, you couldn’t take care of yourself. Foraging while Black is also a revolutionary act for Nelson, who hopes her presence encourages more people to join.

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