Anyone here forage for wild edibles?

[osiyo]

kind of what, @(you need an account to see links) said....but you need to do a bit of investigating.

Foraging in public spaces (parks, sidewalks, etc) can result in getting a ticket if you live in a city. Likewise, don't go onto people's property without permission - you can get arrested for trespassing.

If you notice someone has an abundance of something though, it never hurts to ask the owner of the house if they mind you harvesting their edibles. Most people (while thinking it odd), won't care.

Also, if you are serious about getting into foraging, be sure to learn how to do it responsibly (IE, leaving behind enough of the plant to regrow next season, understanding which foods are poisonous, etc).

If you are just looking for cheap food though, there are lots of different options. Go to your grocery store/farmer's market and see if they will give you a discount on damaged foods (fruits/veggies which have soft or brown spots that you can cut off, that don't look nice, cans that are dented, etc). You can also go to restaurants that sell everything "fresh" at the end of their days and see if they will give you/let you have at a large discount their food they are getting rid of in the evenings (Dunkin Donuts/Au Bon Pain/ Le Pain Quotidien/ Pret a Manger/ Panera Bread come to mind).

You can also look into dumpster diving. There are online communities filled with great tips about it.

Good luck!

[Hexx]

If you are just looking for cheap food though, there are lots of different options. Go to your grocery store/farmer's market and see if they will give you a discount on damaged foods (fruits/veggies which have soft or brown spots that you can cut off, that don't look nice, cans that are dented, etc). You can also go to restaurants that sell everything "fresh" at the end of their days and see if they will give you/let you have at a large discount their food they are getting rid of in the evenings (Dunkin Donuts/Au Bon Pain/ Le Pain Quotidien/ Pret a Manger/ Panera Bread come to mind).

there's also the option to grow your own fruit and vegetables if you've got a bit of room to plant things, which is a much better alternative to stealing things which other people have spent time, money and effort growing themselves.

[Tapir]

(i couldnt resist im sorry)

[osiyo]

@(you need an account to see links) , I think @(you need an account to see links) was referring to wild growths, not people's gardens.

[Hexx]

@(you need an account to see links) , I think @(you need an account to see links) was referring to wild growths, not people's gardens.

but if it's on their land then by law it's not wild growth (also, he mentioned potatoes which I can't imagine would be growing uncultivated in the yards of many people, if somebody has potatoes in their yard they'll almost certainly have been planted there on purpose).

[osiyo]

@(you need an account to see links) , I think you might be missing what I was trying to say. You are correct, it is trespassing if he goes onto their land without permission, along with possible vandalism if digs up their yard, but a lot of people don't mind foragers picking plants that happen to be growing in their yard that they are not actively cultivating.

[Mod]

(i couldnt resist im sorry)

First pass is always safe.

but if it's on their land then by law it's not wild growth (also, he mentioned potatoes which I can't imagine would be growing uncultivated in the yards of many people, if somebody has potatoes in their yard they'll almost certainly have been planted there on purpose).

I think you might be missing what I was trying to say. You are correct, it is trespassing if he goes onto their land without permission, along with possible vandalism if digs up their yard, but a lot of people don't mind foragers picking plants that happen to be growing in their yard that they are not actively cultivating.

When I was a kid, our backyard had an apple tree and it was open one summer when we were getting our garage built. One day these punks walked in and picked all of my apples. THEY DIDN'T EVEN EAT THEM!
They picked them to fuckin' chuck at each other, MY APPLES!

I would have walked out to give them a piece of my mind, except I was 9 and I probably would have gotten my ass slammed.

---

In any case, I thank you both for your advice. I am not dead broke, although the wallet is getting a bit lighter than I want it to. Will keep tips in mind!

[Hexx]

@(you need an account to see links) , I think you might be missing what I was trying to say. You are correct, it is trespassing if he goes onto their land without permission, along with possible vandalism if digs up their yard, but a lot of people don't mind foragers picking plants that happen to be growing in their yard that they are not actively cultivating.

i didn't miss your point. you're correct that a lot of people wouldn't mind that if they were actually asked by somebody for permission to do so. the problem is that he said he was doing it in people's yards when they forgot to lock up which suggests that there wasn't any permission given and also that some of the things mentioned sound like they would be cultivated produce rather than just wild. :/ it's a pretty risky thing to do given you'd only be saving a few dollars.

[Compulsiv]

Have you ever thought about container gardening? You don't need yard space, just a deck or maybe even a really sunny window and some floor space. I have some potatoes and tomatoes growing in containers on my patio, and this site was helpful for me in getting started. If you plant more than one container, you can grow in cycles so that you never really run out between harvests. Potatoes are super easy to grow, and you can start growing them with the ones you've already found. Potatoes are a good base for a lot of dishes too.

It takes a little while for the first harvest, but it can def be worth it as far as free food goes.

(you need an account to see links)