Easy Spring Foraging Ideas for the Family

When the first green of Spring is starting to peak, there are some great and easily obtainable wild edibles to take advantage of.  Here are some easy spring foraging ideas for the whole family.

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When I say “easy Spring foraging ideas” I want to try and show you ideas that can be used by a family of younger children.  In other words, you may not have the stamina or ability to hike through difficult terrain on a foraging trek.  Rather, to get children interested in this pursuit, you want to be able to get results that are relatively close and quick to obtain.  Depending on your locale, you probably shan’t have to range far to find most of these wild edibles.

Spring Cattail tips

Cattails obviously, grow in marshy areas.  Look for the new shoots starting to peak through the ground.

Simply, take a firm grip at the base of the shoot and steadily and slowly pull upwards.  It should come up and out of the ground.  It doesn’t take long to get the knack of it.  Again, it’s amazing to see my  children really take to it.  They appreciate the quick results and will head off on their own volition to gather as much as I permit them.

Processing Cattail tips

The edible part of the cattail tip is the tender white base.  All you do is gently peel off the outer, stringy layers until you left with this tender base that breaks off easily in your mouth when you bite it.  You can eat this raw.  If you eat a lot, it may cause a slight tingling in the back of your throat but it is harmless.  However, cooking the tips will eliminate that.

Stinging Nettles

You may be surprised that I am including stinging nettles in my easy Spring foraging ideas for children.  But just hear me out and then I leave it to your discretion with your own kids.

Whether  you like it or not, your free-range children will soon discover and learn fast the stinging qualities of the nettle.  Of course, like many things in childhood, the new experiences of pain and discomfort are par for the course in learning about the natural world.  After the initial tears and discomfort, this is a great opportunity for them to learn how recognize and handle something that may seem “bad” at first, but in the end can be very good if handled properly.  I am amazed how quickly the kids get over the stings and eventually don their little gardening gloves and have at it.

I have found that the key to harvesting nettles for either child or adult is learning to handle them with confidence.  Eventually, the occasional sting is not so bothersome as at first.

The reality is that this plant is one of the great folk foods that our culture has forgotten.  Being so prolific, it never needed to be domesticated and was a good source for vitamins in the peasant diet.  After a long Winter and Lententide, nettles are one of the early greens of the year to come up.  The young leaves are ready to give nourishment to those who are wise enough to know how to take advantage of them.

Garlic Mustard

If garlic mustard grows in your vicinity, you will assuredly have no problem finding it.  It is invasive and can tend to take over the undergrowth.  The leaves make a good addition to whatever salad, stir-fry, or pesto you are making.  Harverst as much as you please and have no shame for it!

Campfire cooking

Showing your children what is edible from the wild is one way of bonding them with Nature.  But showing them how to make wild edibles delicious brings the experience to a whole new level.  They love cooking and they love being outdoors.  Why not combine the two?

If you allow them the freedom,  they will happily get out cutting boards and knives and set up an impromptu outdoor kitchen.  It’s like it’s in their nature to do so.

To make quick and easy results: Put a little cooking oil on a hot pan: butter, lard, vegetable oil will work just fine.  Here we used a dollop of our duck fat which imparts and absolute amazing flavor on whatever you are cooking.  when the fat is melted and sizzling, add your ingredients with a pinch or two of salt. In a couple of minutes it should be done.

This is meant to be a quick and simple demonstration. Depending on the age and interest of your children, you  can of course, make it more ornate with different spices and plants as you wish.  The most important goal here is to show them a real hands-on experience with Nature ~Nathanael