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Foodies | South Africa
Fresh Produce 11

Forage And Ye Shall Find

By Pat Elk · On 5 November 2013

I remember my earliest days of foraging. I was six or seven and living in the northernmost area of KwaZulu-Natal. I used to set out with the other youngsters on the farm, roaming around and foraging for Umfino (spinach, or any other greens that looked and tasted like spinach) for the evening meal. Sometimes it would be the tips and tendrils of the pumpkin vine. At other times it would be the spinach in the kitchen garden. And when neither of these were available then it would be the blackjack leaves out in the veld.

We would hurry back with our harvest, which would then be boiled up with some potatoes and later drained and mashed. It was (and still is) one of the most delicious and satisfying vegetable meals you could ever eat under an African sky.

After the heavy summer rains, we would go out into the fields searching for the Ikhowe mushroom. These mushrooms grow to the size of dinner plates and provide a meaty texture with a great flavour that can easily stand alone as a complete meal on its own.

forage: /ˈfɒrɪdʒ/ (verb) search widely for food or provisions

So if this was the natural way of life a few decades ago, why are people now returning to this age old method of becoming a gatherer in our fields and forests? Perhaps this a retrospective look at where we started and a way to reconnect with our past? Could it be that these foods have some really valuable minerals and nutrients that we’re not getting in our supermarket food? Or is it just that it’s a more affordable way to eat?

Doesn’t it take up a lot of time that people don’t have anymore? Or is the adventure of getting out into the wild and finding food you never even knew existed a reward that makes the effort worthwhile? We don’t have the exact answer but what we do know for sure is that many South Africans are reigniting their hunter-gatherer instincts.

Some of the leading chefs and restaurants in Cape Town are foraging for mushrooms, herbs and seaweed that they use on a daily basis in their menus. A couple of them have even gone so far as to introduce some of their more exotic foraged favourites into their kitchen gardens, bringing the outside in so to speak. What a wonderful way to bridge the gap between nature and modern living. Some of the active foragers out there include:

  • Chef Eric
  • Bertus Basson
  • Shaun Schoeman
  • Table Bay Hotel
  • Oep ve Koep

Foraging classes are springing up all over South Africa and they all offer a great package of walking out in the wild, gathering the foods and then going back and cooking with your newly found treasures. Some of the classes available include:

  • Mushroom Guru
  • Making Kos
  • Forage Harvest and Feast

If you have any other foraging contacts, events or secret spots you think other foodies could benefit from, please share them in the comments below.

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Pat Elk

I've always loved cooking, especially with freshly picked ingredients. Between my herb and veggie patch, and sprawling collection of cookbooks and kitchen tools, I'm proud to admit that I'm a food adventurer, kitchen garden ecologist, gadget collector, and insatiable recipe enthusiast.

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11 Comments

  • Gill Hyslop says: 23 September 2014 at 9:52 pm

    Hi Pat. I need your help in foraging. It’s something i’ve never done (despite living in the Midlands for many year) but something I am now so keen to get involved in. However, I’ve got no idea of where to start….????

    Could you be in touch and direct me to the first step?

    Many thanks
    Regards
    Gill

    GILL HYSLOP
    gillhyslop@gmail.com
    0822887254

    Reply
    • Pat Elk says: 26 September 2014 at 8:33 am

      Hi Gill

      Have sent you a mail

      Regards
      Pat

      Reply
      • Roy says: 14 January 2015 at 9:29 am

        Hi Pat,
        I am in the same position as Gilly
        I need your help in foraging. It’s something i’ve never done (despite living in the Midlands for many year) but something I am now so keen to get involved in. However, I’ve got no idea of where to start….????

        Could you be in touch and direct me to the first step?

        Many thanks

        Reply
  • Alexa Mulligan says: 16 March 2015 at 4:33 pm

    Hi pat, I have found what I think are pine rings near by swisslands cheese. Cam I send you a pic? They bleed orange and have orange gills.

    Reply
    • Pat Elk says: 20 March 2015 at 4:32 pm

      Hello Alexa and thanks for stopping by. Would love to have some pics as well as information on the mushrooms so that I can add to the article.

      Reply
  • Michael johnson says: 28 April 2015 at 8:22 am

    Hi Gill
    Very interesting read on foraging for food especially mushrooms.

    i would love to hear from you regarding any courses or when or where i can do this one desire!
    i live in Durban- and have access to the southern Drakensberg meander area?
    please advise if you have any tips or advise ??
    kindest regards
    Michael

    Reply
  • Claire says: 10 February 2016 at 5:48 pm

    Hi, do you know of any foraging chefs that are situated in or around Gauteng please? Thank you

    Reply
    • Pat Elk says: 16 April 2017 at 11:27 am

      Thanks for stopping by

      Only link I can find for Foraging in Gauging, hope this helps :)
      https://plantabundance.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/foraging-in-gauteng/

      Reply
    • Pat Elk says: 16 April 2017 at 11:28 am

      Thanks for stopping by :)

      Only link I can find for Gauteng is:

      https://plantabundance.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/foraging-in-gauteng/

      Reply
  • Win says: 16 April 2017 at 10:07 am

    Same question as Claire.
    Do you have any foraging contacts in Gauteng? Thanks!

    Reply
  • Roy says: 16 August 2017 at 1:17 pm

    Hi Pat,
    I am interested in Foraging on the South Coast. Can you point me in te right direction to get advice/reading material etc
    Thanks

    Reply
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