Places to Forage (in the Twin Cities Area and Minnesota)

I really wish that foraging laws were more intuitive. I long for a foraging culture in the US that is more similar to that of Sweden, where people have “the right to roam in the countryside, forage and pitch a tent anywhere for up to two nights (as long as it's at least 230 feet from a home or farm).” Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll see anything like that around here anytime soon. However, foraging laws are changing, often for the better. I am part of an effort to give foragers a voice in the management of state land in Minnesota. Local county parks are changing their outdated ordinances to better reflect actual land use. Back in 2019 I wrote an article on foraging legality, and with all these changes, I think it’s time to provide an update!

General InfoMaria W.August 8, 2025legality, urban foragingComment

Wild Food Round Up

How many wild edibles grow in your area? The answer may surprise you!

I challenged myself to find as many wild edibles as possible just a few blocks from my apartment. The final count: 43! Some of these are native plants used in landscaping, while others are cultivated plants that sometimes grow in the wild. Still, an impressive number after just a simple search.

General InfoMaria W.September 4, 2019video, urban foragingComment

Foraging for the Apocalypse

And I looked, and beheld a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
-Revelation, 6:8

General InfoMaria W.August 5, 2019urban foraging, apocalypse, opinion Comments

Foraging Legality

Navigating the ins and outs of foraging can be tricky! After the long process of learning how to identify plants and other forageables, you then must find places where you’re actually allowed to harvest them. This isn’t always easy, especially for those of us living in cities. This guide is intended to help you get out there and start picking, without getting into trouble! Since I live in the Twin Cities, most of the information will pertain to this area. However, you can use the information herein to do some research into your locality, including city parks, state parks, state forests, and other areas.

General InfoMaria W.April 1, 2019urban foraging, legality Comments

Common Edible Plants of Cities

There are so many awesome edible plants growing in cities! Unfortunately, I can’t write about all of them, so I decided to narrow the list down to ten. Only ten! It was so hard to choose. I opted for diversity. This list includes a variety of plant forms— some herbs, some trees, some shrubs. It also has various plant parts— greens, flowers, fruits, seeds, and even sap! Finally, these plants are eaten in myriad ways— raw, cooked, made into tea, or infused. But they should all be easily found in most cities, and they are all delicious!

Edible PlantMaria W.March 1, 2019plant, edible, urban foragingComment

Avoiding Contamination in Urban Environments

One of the joys of living in a city, for me, is spotting and observing wildlife that calls this environment home. This includes animals like squirrels, hawks, wild turkeys, deer, and foxes, but also plants, insects, fungi— any living thing that dwells here of its own accord. Even things planted by humans— such as trees in a park, veggies in a garden, or wildflowers in a restoration site— bring me feelings of happiness.

This, of course, extends to foraging as well. I love finding plants toughing it out in sidewalk cracks or vacant lots, little bits of wilderness in a human-dominated landscape. However, just because I enjoy seeing them doesn’t necessarily mean that I harvest and eat them! Some plants are better left alone, as the soil they grow in may be contaminated, posing a health threat to anyone who would consume them.

Thankfully, there are a few guidelines to avoiding contamination and enjoying the harvest of an urban environment!

General InfoMaria W.December 9, 2018contamination, urban foraging Comments

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