foraging

wild persimmons

Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) acorns, shelled and unshelled

roasted acorns

ginkgo nuts, shelled and unshelled with skins still on

ginkgo nuts with eggs and potatoes-- yum!

Foraging has become a central concept in my work, from salvaged wood to yard trash.  But this fall I made a more literal effort to expand my diet of foraged foods.  Although the persimmon fruit pictured above were gathered on a camping trip in Illinois, there are plenty of options to be found right here in the City of St. Louis– some items no farther than the front yard.  My snack food and side dishes included hickory nuts, black walnuts, acorns, persimmons, wild greens, and ginkgo nuts.  The roasted acorns were a surprise, as they had a strong aroma and flavor of toffee.  Chinkapin oaks are known for having some of the sweetest acorns (the term is relative, believe me) and these were just over the threshold of “edible” without my having leached out any of the tannins.  Ginkgo nuts start out nasty, as the smelly flesh needs to be stripped away.  But the nut meat is generous and the shells are thin (a stark contrast to the black walnuts).  They are a lot like little potatoes, starchy with a slightly bitter finish.  I found them to be great with eggs, salted and peppered.  Foraging, like art-making, tends to lean away from immediacy/efficiency and towards process.  The “important” part precedes and exceeds the moment of consumption.  It requires good timing, a search, preparation, consumption, and comes with a sense of satisfaction that lends itself well to reflection.  It encourages first-hand knowledge, increases our appreciation of natural cycles, fosters independence, and rewards the observant.  One might even argue that foraging is an art unto itself.