Go to www.WildFoodies.org for a FREE field guide, plus more information on local guides, groups, and research!

Welcome to our group.  This is a collaborative effort!  We are a group of wild foods enthusiasts who came together in the summer of 2010 to learn more about wild edibles, both plants and animals (although we emphasize edible weeds)!  We believe that wild foods can become a major part of the American diet, as they are in other parts of the world. 

This group can maximize its potential if lots of meetups were taking place all over Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Remember, you don't have to be an expert to host a meetup of Wild Foodies. I'm certainly not. Just follow some simple rules -

• IDENTIFY IT: Always be sure of what you are eating.  If you haven't positively identified it, don't eat it.
• GO SLOW: Don't eat a lot of a plant the first time you taste it.  Go slowly and see how your system processes it. You could be allergic to it.  Plus, these greens pack a punch, unlike many waterlogged greens sold in stores.
• TOXINS: Don't eat plants that grow in potentially contaminated areas, such as next to roads, former dump sites, current and former industrial areas, etc..  Some plants can taste sweeter if they are growing next to a roadway, but that sweetness could be its lead content!
• OXALIC ACID: Many green plants, including spinach, contain important nutrients, but also oxalic acid.  Too much oxalic acid, such as in spinach, is said to interfere with processing calcium and contribute to kidney stones.  Here's more information on it, http://oxalicacidinfo.com/. According to Wildman Steve Brill, "...oxalic acid which is considered slightly toxic because it interferes with food digestion and the absorption of some trace minerals. However, the U.S. National Institutes of Health have determined that the negative effects of oxalic acid are generally of little or no nutritional consequence in persons who eat a variety of foods."
• BE CONSIDERATE - Don't forage for food that is scarce.  And don't take all the berries! Save some for others - people and wild life.

You're welcome to come on as many tours as you like!  The more you tour, the more you'll learn!  The important thing is for people to come together to help each other identify, discuss, and eat wild edibles! So, I've changed the settings and now anyone can announce a meetup.  However, if you need to control the size of the group, then you must contact so that I can make you an event organizer.  Don't get too concerned about scheduling a meetup at the same time other meetups are taking place. Our membership is big enough at this point that it shouldn't matter.

I'm also willing to lead free private tours on weekdays. So please don't hesitate to give me a call. Meanwhile, I'll continue to schedule tours in the Art Museum/Lemon Hill area and work on our free field guide, research info, and links...which you can find at www.WildFoodies.org.  You can also join the following discussion group - http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ForageAhead/

Munch on!

Lynn Landes

FYI:  CityPaper article:  http://www.citypaper.net/food/2011-03-17-sp...