Interested in foraging your food? Try a guided tour

At the Horn Farm Center in south central Pennsylvania, the mission is to teach people to grow and source their own food while forming a regenerative relationship with the land — including through hands-on foraging experiences. But recently, Darby says, “We’ve definitely seen an increase in participation.” While six or seven people per class was the norm when starting out, the foraging walks nowadays are capped at 30 participants — with a waiting list. “I do think that kind of speaks to an increase in interest and also the lack of places offering this.” Across the country, foraging tours run by experts with local area knowledge provide an accessible entry point for those interested in learning how to gather their own food. She notes that they are especially popular with older visitors, but has also loved to see younger people getting an early start to their foraging journeys: “Just today we had four 27-year-olds out on a nature tour, and they were super interested.” Shifting climate, shifting seasons Alan Muskat, founder of No Taste Like Home in Asheville, North Carolina, has created a program with local chefs and restaurants to help his guests engage with the culinary potential of their foraged ingredients. “I can look at what I’m doing as one little drop in the bucket,” Brill says, “and I can also look at it as part of what lots of people are doing in different ways to increase appreciation of the environment and help protect.” For Darby, seeing people get enthused by nature is very rewarding, and he especially loves to educate people about weeds and other plants often perceived as unattractive, which he refers to as unsung heroes.