Wild & Free: Foraging in New Zealand for Budget Zero Wasters

Zero Waste on Waiheke Island

31/01/2019

Preaching to “the Converted” #7: Beatriz Santos

07/03/2019

15/02/2019

Foraging is a great way to get free, zero waste kai, as we've previously harped on about. We also love the locality, seasonality and sense of connection that comes with foraging.

Zero waste living brought us to foraging, but the benefits go beyond waste. As soon as we started, we couldn't believe how oblivious we'd been to all the free and nutritious food around us. And how silly we'd been, spending money on certain kai (packaged or unpackaged) that we could easily have gotten for free, fresh and unpackaged, if only we'd known to look.

Being on the road with The Rubbish Trip, on a daily budget of $20, also made us love foraging even more! We try really hard not to support non-organic food practices, which aren't good for us or the planet. But on such a small budget, we had to be pretty savvy about how we said 'no' to non-organics, while still having enough to eat - foraging was a very important part of that savvy-ness!

In this resource, we share an alphabetical list of some of the foraged goodies we've found around NZ, and what we do with these weird and wonderful things. Our goal is to communicate some of the joy and satisfaction that we've gained from this practice, and maybe inspire others to love it too. Scroll through and click on the plants you're interested in - FYI that each of the links will take you through to an Instagram post where you can read more.

BUT FIRST!

A small warning...

If these posts make you want to give foraging a go, just make sure you know what you're looking for. Many plants and fungi in New Zealand are poisonous, so you must be careful. Trial and error is no approach to foraging; it helps to go out with someone who knows what they are doing and/or always to be 100% sure of what you're picking before you eat it. Furthermore, be savvy about where you pick to avoid possible contamination from car pollution or spraying (no one wants a dose of exhaust fumes or round-up in their lovely dinner).

Other resources

Some great resources to look out for in New Zealand to help you forage are:

A Forager’s Treasury by Johanna Knox
Julia’s Edible Weeds website (and associated workshops!) by Julia Sitch

Our absolute FAVOURITE foraging influencer is Alexis Nikole Nelson AKA @blackforager

A Forager's Treasury

This book is basically the NZ Forager's Bible!

Foraged goodies!

(List arranged alphabetically)

Apples

Foraging isn’t just about finding mysterious things you never knew you could eat, it’s also about embracing/recognising everyday foods when they're growing on trees around us!

Bay Leaf

If you’ve seen our talk you’ll know that the Bay Leaf triggered our foraging journey. We’d never buy a bay leaf.

Blackberry

Despite the guilt associated with being joyful about the fruiting of an invasive weed, we can’t help but get excited about blackberry season.

Chickweed

This prolific plant is easy to find almost anywhere & is both delicious & nutritious.

Horse Chestnut (NOT edible!!!!)

Horse Chestnuts are NOT FOR EATING. They're poisonous, but still useful!

Kawakawa

An amazing native plant, prolific throughout the North Island and the northern South Island.

Nasturtium

You can eat all parts of the mighty nasturtium - the leaves, the flowers and the seeds.

Onion Weed or Three-Cornered Leek

These little oniony-garlicy guys can be used in cooking in so many ways AND you can eat the whole plant - from the flowers, to the stalk, right down to the bulb.

Strawberry Tree or Arbutus Unedo or Medronho

These yummy little fruit are distinctive, bright red, visually spiky, with luminous orange inner flesh. To avoid disappointment, please be aware that they do not taste like strawberries!

Sweet Chestnut

It's worth braving your way through the sweet chestnut's outer painful burr to get to the nut inside, which is so delicious and nutritious (with vitamins B1, B6, C & protein!)