Page 137 - The Hunt - Spring 2024

Found Food
Foraging—how the first humans dined—is still a tasty weekend avocation.
Long before we developed farming as a steady way to source food, our long- ago ancestors hunted for what they ate. We may envision graphic images of shaggy men throwing spears at mastodons and other large animals, but early humans also survived on things that grew naturally in plains, meadows and forests. Depending on location, these hunter-gatherers lived on vast varieties
By Roger Morris
of leafy plants, berries, nuts, mushrooms, plant roots and flowers. Today, that menu hasn’t disappeared. There are still plenty of people—from chefs and farmers to hobbyists and naturalists—who chow down on locally foraged foods.
I grew up on a hillside farm where, in addition to planting crops like corn, beans and potatoes, we harvested wild greens, walnuts,
hickory nuts and blackberries. Years later, I still forage, especially for morel mushrooms and wild wine berries and blackberries. I actually find it more rewarding and less demanding than having a backyard or patio garden.
Through the years, I’ve met other foragers—especially professional chefs, who I suspect like to forage as a way of escaping the kitchen. Notable among these is MacGregor
FOOD & DRINK
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