How to Be an Urban Forager
Mother Nature has free food up her sleeve, and it’s closer than you think
Three years ago, in a parking lot, I officially became an accidental urban forager. I had just completed my annual breast cancer survivor checkup and my results were all clear. There was only one thing to do on that wickedly hot summer day. I had to rejoice and decompress with a chocolate milkshake — but I was in for another unexpected treat.
I sat in my car in an unassuming strip mall parking lot and calmed my thoughts by looking at clouds while I sipped my milkshake. And then I saw it. A huge tree in front of my car was thickly covered with dusk purple berries. I’m a former farm girl and a wild forager, so I had to find out what kind of berries they were.
I got out of the car, looked at the berries, and immediately ate one — OK, a handful. They were Saskatoon berries, one of the best berries ever from my childhood. I dug around in the car trunk, found a grocery bag, and started picking.
I was wearing white dress pants, a fancy shirt, and leopard heels — picking purple berries in a parking lot. You should have seen the looks I received. And then the smiles.
