By Liam Guenin, summer intern

This time of year is a personal favorite of mine for many reasons, one of them being that it’s a great time for foraging. Currently in the US, there isn’t any real need to forage for food due to there being pretty much every food you can imagine at your local Walmart. However, many people, such as myself, don’t forage for need- they forage to feel a connection to the Earth while also having some tasty snacks along the way. I love foraging for all sorts of fungi, leaves, and roots, but to me, nothing compares to picking berries straight off of a plant and putting them directly into my mouth. 

Although eating the things you forage for yourself on the spot is super satisfying and wonderful, I have also found that making jams and pies out of foraged berries can be even more rewarding. This can also be great for giving gifts to friends and loved ones. A lot of the things that you forage can also be given to your non-human friends. Recently, the other interns and I (aptly named the Woodland Goons) learned that our education turtles Sheldon and Sergio possess a fondness for berries. Now when we go out in the field to plant trees or do maintenance on the trails, we have to keep an eye out for wild strawberries and raspberries so that we can give the turtles a little treat at the end of the day. 

Foraging is not only an inexpensive way to get fresh local berries for your education turtles, it also has many other proven benefits to you and the environment. For example, wild plants have been shown to have higher levels of vitamins and minerals than their farmed counterparts. In addition, by forgoing grocery stores and commercial farming operations, you can greatly reduce your carbon footprint. It has also been shown that being outside in nature for just 20 minutes a day decreases stress and anxiety levels. There are countless positive reasons to go out and forage, but the biggest reason I do it is just because it’s a really fun activity to do.

At the end of the day, foraging is probably not the answer to all of your problems. However, if you find yourself with nothing to do on a nice summer day, I would strongly recommend giving it a try. It is a great way to get out of the house and learn about your local ecosystem while picking up some small bites to eat along the way.

Editor’s note: Woodland Dunes does not allow foraging of any type on the preserve to reduce visitors straying off our trails and endangering sensitive plant and animal life here. State parks do allow foraging, so if this intrigues you, give it a try in one of their locations.

Photo: turtle eating red and dwarf raspberries