Since time began humans have been foragers. Survival depended on connecting to the natural world. Today, when most of our food comes from a grocery store or is eaten in a restaurant, that link has been lost. But not for Tim Clemens. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Tim, a professional forager and founder of Ironwood Foraging about how he’s helping people connect with nature; and not in the middle of the forest or farm country, but near his urban home of Minneapolis.

Key Takeaways: 

•  Foraging is not limited to rural or wilderness areas—urban environments, like the parks and green spaces in Minneapolis, offer surprising edible treasures.
•  Learning to identify wild edibles is key to safe foraging, and local foraging groups or societies can be invaluable resources for beginners.
•  Tim emphasizes the importance of indigenous traditions and thinking long-term, such as planting trees for future generations, in the practice of foraging.
•  Foraging creates a deeper connection to the natural world, making people more mindful stewards of the environment by seeing it not just as scenery, but as a source of sustenance.
•  Foraging is becoming increasingly popular, moving beyond farm-to-table into forest-to-table, and gaining recognition in both local communities and top-tier restaurants.

Notable Quotes:

•  "Foraging has gotten so much more popular, and just like the farm-to-table movement, the next iteration of that is the forest-to-table movement or the prairie-to-table movement."
•  "You need to identify the species you're trying to eat before you eat it. You really should identify something first because there are things that can hurt you."
•  "When you’re foraging, suddenly it's your blueberry patch... it's not just a backdrop for human activity anymore. You’re going to be attached to individual trees...and you're just going to be a better naturalist for that."
•  "For most of the year, I don't buy rice because I harvest my own. There are things I never buy anymore. I don't buy fruit, I don't buy greens, I don't buy mushrooms, and I don't buy nuts."
•  "We have folks who have backgrounds in biology like myself and folks who have backgrounds in graphic design. There's room for all those people and a need for all those people because we need people to balance our budgets, fix our computers, design our graphics."

Resources:

•  Ironwood Foraging Website: https://ironwoodforaging.com/ 
•  Minnesota Mycological Society: https://minnesotamycologicalsociety.org/ 
•  National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation: https://www.nplsf.org/ 

Be sure to tune in to this insightful episode of the Lake Superior Podcast to learn more about the art of foraging and how you can reconnect with the environment through this ancient practice. 

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