What To Forage in Portland

There’s some good news for anyone curious about foraging for food (and fun) in Portland yards and wilderness areas. A lot of our local weeds are edible. “ We brought them here on purpose, as insurance against food starvation, when we decided to colonize America,” says Norther Emily, who runs foraging classes through her company, Wild Solitude.

But proceed with caution. Figuring out what plants are truly safe to eat can be tricky. And some parts of a plant can be edible while others are poisonous.

Here are three plants that are easy to identify and safe to eat:

🌱 Stinging Nettles

They’re easily identifiable, in part because of the prickly leaves, but they’re also prized for being quite tasty.

⚠️ Caution: When gathering you’ll want protection against the stinging part: Long sleeves, long pants, and long rubber kitchen gloves are advisable. Also, they need to be prepared before eating.

🍴 How to consume them: Use them for tea and or chop them into a pesto sauce.

🌹 Roses and Rose Hips

Garden roses don’t generally taste great. Instead, look for smaller roses and sample the petals. There are some small wild roses that are particularly tasty.

⚠️ Caution: Don’t consume any that may have been treated with pesticides. And of course, watch out for thorns.

🍴 How to consume them: Savor them in tea, jam, and syrups. Add the petals to salads. You can also decorate cakes with them.

🌼 Dandelions

Better known as weeds, the dandelion is named for the shape of its leaves — tooth of a lion, in French.

Absolutely everyone can find some dandelion. But know that it’s advisable to harvest the greens when they’re small and tender.

🍴 How to eat them: Sauté the greens or serve them in a salad.

Next Step: Foraging Classes

Norther Emily is teaching foraging out in the woods in the upcoming weeks: