Ep. 71: Wild Food Girl - Wild Food Cultures, Indigenous Agro-ecology & Foraging in Colorado (feat. Erica Davis)

Today on Mushroom Hour we’re excited to speak with Erica Davis, founder of Wild Food Girl. Erica started writing her adventures with wild food back in 2009 at her blog, and later in a monthly magazine called “Wild Edible Notebook.” She teaches a course on useful plants at Colorado Mountain College and conducts plant walks around the state. She is also a regular presenter at the Midwest Wild Harvest Festival in Wisconsin. Erica’s educational background includes a BA in archaeology, an elementary school teaching credential, and an MA in technology-based education. Today she maintains an active Facebook community and is hard at work on her first book about edible wild plants in the West. Her incredible body of work is carefully compiled and she has worked diligently to provide accurate, useful, safe—and whenever possible, lesser known—information.   

Topics Covered:   

• Introduced to Foraging Through the Work of Yule Gibbons  
• Learning Through Books  
• Foraging Hobby vs Lifestyle  
• Foraging Seasons in Colorado  
• Wild Seed Foraging  
• Indigenous Agro-forestry  
• Agricultural Systems from an Ecological Perspective  
• Co-evolution of Human Tenders and Wild Edibles  
• Integrating Wild Foods into Your Diet  
• The World’s Best Dandelion Preparation  
• Wild Mustards  
• Wild Food Recipes and Preparations Across Cultures  
• Sustainable Foraging  
• Erica's Book Planned for 2022  

Episode Resources:   

• Wild Food Girl Website: https://wildfoodgirl.com/  
• Wild Food Girl Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildfoodgirl/  
• Euell Gibbons (Inspiration): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euell_Gibbons  
• Cattail Bob Seebeck (Inspiration): https://www.rrcc.edu/outdoor-education/faculty/cattail-bob  
• Samuel Thayer (Inspiration): https://www.foragersharvest.com/#/  
• "Tending the Wild" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Tending-Wild-Knowledge-Management-Californias/dp/0520280431  
• Yampa (Plant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perideridia  
• Goosefoot (Plant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenopodium  
• Pinus edulis (Tree): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_edulis  
• "Mushrooms of Colorado and the Southern Rocky Mountains": https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Colorado-Southern-Rocky-Mountains/dp/1565791924  
• "Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountain Region": https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Rocky-Mountain-Region-Timber/dp/1604695765