Those of you who spent the morning at the farmers market may not have read today’s New York Times, but when you’ve finally got the corn in the fridge, sunflowers in a case, and squid ceviche in citrus, put your feet up and savor the (front-page) story on the pleasures and perils of foraging for food in city parks. The piece—which references Edible Manhattan’s regular urban foraging coverage and quotes our column’s author and covergirl Marie Viljoen—finds the phenomenon is on the rise, and reports that City Parks officials wish it weren’t, citing indiscriminate cityfolk who overharvest edibles. But pro weed eaters, including Wildman Steve Brill, and Leda Meredith, often emphasize invasives—and teach their pupils to do the same.
Here at Edible, we hold foraging dear, so perhaps tomorrow we’ll hit city green spaces instead of Greenmarkets. But only after an all-nighter memorizing field-guide flashcards—after all, some of the most delicious wild plants can be poisonous.
And for an op-ed-y call-to-action on this topic, see what sister magazine Edible East End has to say here.
