CAMPBELLSPORT — Summer is in full swing. Flowers are blossoming, streams are flowing, and famished fawns hunt for the freshest berries. But the animals of the Wisconsin forests aren’t the only ones looking to feast.
Summer also means the foraging season for humans like Matt Normansell.
“You can pretty much find stuff to eat throughout the year from the start of spring right all the way through to the end of fall,” Normansell said.
He is a foraging guide and wild food educator. Normansell created the program Eden Wild Food. He takes groups or individuals on walks to find yummy treats hiding in the woods. He also does land assessments for people who want to know what kind of food they have on their property.
Normansell has been interested in foraging for basically his entire life.
“I think the thing with foraging it’s a primal thing. It’s something we use to nourish ourselves, feed ourselves, but it’s also kind of like a scavenger hunt.”
He grew up in the United Kingdom where he ran guided trips and educational programs for 10 years. Then he moved to Wisconsin to be with his wife. Normansell said the Badger State is a great place to forage.
"You have, what is it, five million plus acres of public land, so there's good access. A lot of forest cover, like 47 percent forest cover, so there's a lot of habitat for fungi to grow."
For him, foraging has been a way to get in touch with nature.
"I think people often have the idea that 'cause you're taking something from nature that must be damaging to nature. But I always say you won’t hear nature coming out of their mouth until you see it going into their mouths," he said.
He hopes more people get interested in foraging, or at least going on walks because then they will have a deeper relationship with nature.
Now, you can't just go picking weeds to your heart's desire. There are rules to foraging. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), one can forage on state own lands like state parks. You can also forage on private land with the proper permission. Federal lands allow some foraging but only of specific items. Counties and municipalities make their own rules when it comes to their park system. For example, Milwaukee County does not allow any foraging.
It is fine to forage in your backyard. You just have to know what to look for. One South Milwaukee woman actually finds ingredients for a health and wellness brand in her own backyard.
Innocuous weeds like dandelions can in fact be used as ingredients to help remedy "sunburn, bruises, cuts poison ivy, poison oak," Nicole Kintop said during an interview in 2021.
She prepares it all inside her South Milwaukee home kitchen. Some of her products include balms, face washes, and exfoliating scrubs. You can buy them on her Facebook page, Naturally Made By Nicole. The cost ranges from $15 to $45, but the products last a long time, she said.
According to the DNR, some of the most popular items to forage for on state lands are morel mushrooms, wild leeks, asparagus, blueberries, and black raspberries. Other foods you can search for are apples, pears, berries, walnuts, hickory nuts, acorns, mushrooms, watercress, and mustard among others.
You'll also find small plants that we may think are frivolous weeds but are actually revered by others.
"That’s a vetch tip or a vetch shoot very sought after by the Michelin star chefs," he said.
A vetch tip is a small plant that tastes like sweet peas. Or high-end chefs like to use wild grape leaves too, Normansell said.
So next time you're on a hike, just think you could be walking past a $40 garnish. Also, please remember you can’t eat every plant you see.
“You’ve got a bunch of poison ivy which is something you want to be aware of one of the hazards of foraging in the kettles is poison ivy.”
Many of these plants look similar to the untrained eye, which is why it's important to educate yourself and go with a guide if you are foraging.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
