Urban Edibles – Right Around The Corner
Have you ever walked past a fig tree bursting with delicious ripe fruit and wondered hmmm, “just one, I bet that would be ok.” Urban Edibles took that feeling and ran with it, creating an online resource to reconnect Portlanders with the vast wild food sources at their fingertips.
Portland, Oregon is known as one of the nations “greenest” cities. In addition to an abundance of flowers and trees there are tons of edible fruits in the city that most often go unpicked and are left for the squirrels.
The Urban Edibles site provides a community database of food-bearing trees and bushes in the city; complete with maps, detailed information regarding the location, plant or fruit type, time of year to harvest, amount available and other helpful tips.
You can easily add your own sources and are also invited to participate in official scouting days organized by the group. There is a page listing several ethical considerations to take into account when foraging in the city such as; asking permission of property owners, considering the impact of harvesting, thinking about how much you need to take and will truly use, and being aware of chemical contamination in some areas.
The web site encourages conversation between fellow foragers and property owners and focuses on bringing members of the community together to collectively make use of the natural abundance which surrounds us.
With over 220 sources listed clearly many people are actively using this community resource and perhaps more will think twice before heading to their grocery store for fresh fruit and instead taking a walk through their neighborhood!
Mar 12, 2008
This is a wonderful idea.
I love walking in the country with my partner, Ania, who adores picking all the wild fruit she can find. For a bit of fun, we’ve even had competitions to see how many blackberries she can cram in her mouth in one go – I won’t tell you how many as it might imply she has a big gob!
To be able to nibble on handpicked fruit as she meandered around town – to work, to see friends, simply walking – would be a dream come true for her.
On top of that, this will be a great resource for the locals and could save them quite a stash on their grocery bills. It would be criminal if all this fruit was wasted while ‘fresh’ produce was shipped in belching carbon and pollution.
My only concern would be that the wildlife that may rely on this fruit doesn’t suffer.
Good story.
Steve N Lee
author of eco-blog http://www.LionsledbySheep.com
and ‘What if…?’, an eco-suspense thriller with a philosophical twist.
Mar 13, 2008
Thought you might like this, my city folk, in Portland. Also check out the Codex site if you get a chance, its something that I am fully behind, trying to make sure that our nutrients are not going to be outlawed by our crazy government! Ate Mais Jefferey (Untill Later.) How was your Washington trip?
Mar 04, 2010
[...] against Fe contamination, three years prior to discovery of ferromagnetism, and already in 1998 …Urban Edibles Right Around The Corner, Wild FoodThe Urban Edibles site provides a community database of food-bearing trees and bushes. The web site [...]