Forager’s Buddy for

Android

Pros and Cons of

Foraging

Pros of Foraging

Save Money

You will definitely notice that you spend less money on

food

Awareness

You become more aware of your surroundings and gain

a new appreciation of nature and different ecosystems

Adventure

You spend more time outdoors (once you start foraging, you want to go out on more foraging adventures to discover what

wild foods are available)

Appreciation

You appreciate your surroundings more as you start to

observe nature, the different seasons and different ecosystems

Exercise

You exercise more, as foraging requires you to go out on fairly long walks and sometimes the terrain can be difficult so you

engage more muscles for climbing or avoiding obstacles

Learning

Learning about plants can be great fun as it's learning

with all your senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch)

Nutritional Value

Foraged wild foods can have a better nutritional value compared to shop-bought foods, so you can get more

vitamins and minerals

Cooking

Cooking with foraged foods opens a whole new world of possibilities in the kitchen as you familiarize yourself with

different flavors and experiment with them

Taste

Your palate will become more sophisticated and you will notice that processed meals don't taste as nice as they used to; you will find

that most ready meals are too sweet or too salty

Fun

Foraging can be either done solo or as a group; when you go

foraging with friends it can be a great day out and a lot of fun

Skill

You learn some essential life skills, which used to be passed

on from generation to generation but that need revisiting

Ecosystem

Foraging requires the presence of wild spaces where insects, birds and other animals can thrive; this creates an ecosystem

that is more diverse than manicured lawns and gardens

Quality of Life

Foragers have a better quality of life as they prioritize

going out for walks over watching television

Mood

You appreciate a gloomy rainy autumn day if you are

picking delicious wild mushrooms

New Technologies

You can use mobile applications like Forager's Buddy for Android to mark on a map all remarkable places and routes, where you can find various kinds of wild food resources (Using the GPS module of

the device).

You can use this application as a reference in various outdoor activities like: wild herbs / mushroom gathering, hunting, fishing,

camping, hiking, etc.

Download Forager’s Buddy

For Android

Scan the following QR code to download the application from

Google Play Store.

Cons of Foraging

Cons 1/2 You need to allocate plenty of time to learning to prevent

risking food poisoning or worse; you might find that in your first year of learning you prefer taking pictures and taking notes and discard the foods you have picked

You will need to brush up on your Latin as knowing the scientific name of plants alongside their common name is essential

Some wild foods, especially mushrooms, can have high toxicity (some can cause kidney or liver failure)

It is not advised to teach yourself foraging so learn by attending several foraging walks run by experts (these can be quite expensive)

Some plants may taste disgusting even if they are edible so be prepared for some shocks!

Cons 2/2 Parks and green spaces in urban areas can be polluted,

especially if they are near traffic; careless dog owners may not pick up waste after their dogs – dog waste contains harmful toxins so you have to avoid foraging in many green areas

Beware of fields sprayed with pesticides

Foraging takes time, as each foraging walk takes 1 to 2 hours each, sometimes more, and sometimes you come home empty-handed

Careless foraging can harm plants, especially protected plants

Winter can be a difficult season for foraging as there won't be many plants to forage

Thank you for watching!

Source: Paola Bassanese Energya Ltd