{"id":40760,"date":"2022-05-06T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/for-cheap-healthful-meals-try-foraging\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:57:15","slug":"for-cheap-healthful-meals-try-foraging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/for-cheap-healthful-meals-try-foraging\/","title":{"rendered":"For cheap, healthful meals, try foraging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Katrina
Katrina Blair, a Durango forager, grower, educator and plant expert, shows dandelions that are dehydrating that will be used in food and drink at her Turtle Cafe restaurant. In 1998, Blair founded the Durango nonprofit Turtle Lake Refuge, a personal health, wildlands and sustainable living nonprofit that aims to teach people about the wild foods around them. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

As spring ends and summer sprouts, so do the wild herbs and morels, the native weeds and plants.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also the time of year when foragers begin to head back into the fields and forests.<\/p>\n

Naturalists maintain a number of opportunities around Durango for those interested in foraging for their own foods and remedies. They range from individual plant walks and mushroom hunts to classes and multiple-day retreats.<\/p>\n

Those who lead foraging and herbal education in Durango say participation has grown as more people seek the health and environmental benefits that local foods and plants and fungi hold.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a growing interest in mushrooms specifically, and foraging in general, and we\u2019re in a great place for it here,\u201d said Chris Ricci, owner and operator of Fish and Fungi, a guide service that offers panfishing tours on Navajo Lake and mushroom hunts in the San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests.<\/p>\n

Mushroom season typically runs August and September, but in May, Ricci, who holds permits from the U.S. Forest Service, leads guided morel trips in the San Juan Mountains.<\/p>\n

\"Katrina
Katrina Blair, founder of local nonprofit Turtle Lake Refuge, shows on April 26 some yellow dock, which she has been picking this spring to use in the food and drink for Turtle Lake Refuge\u2019s lunches. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

On the hunts, Ricci helps his guests find mushrooms, but he also teaches them how to properly harvest the fungi and keep their basket clean, as well as prepare and preserve them for food.<\/p>\n

Ricci introduces clients to mycology (the science of fungi), teaching them about the environmental and biological processes that produce the morels and the ecosystems that sustain the mushrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe meet usually in the morning at a trailhead and we just take a walk in the woods. That\u2019s really all there is to it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Anna Marija Helt, an herbalist with Osadah Natural Health and a former research scientist, teaches individual classes that range from plant and mushroom walks to herbalism, the traditional medicinal practice of using plants and plant extracts.<\/p>\n

She also holds workshops aimed at introducing people to the plants around Durango and Southwest Colorado and their many uses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt depends on the class or the individual students,\u201d Helt said. \u201cIt might be focused on native plants or local plants, or it might be focused on a particular health topic and how to approach that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turtle Lake Refuge, a personal health, wildlands and sustainable living nonprofit, also provides opportunities for Durangoans to participate in foraging and learn more about plants. Every Tuesday and Friday the group, which is led by Katrina Blair, who founded the organization in 1998, hosts an educational lunch where attendees can learn about the wild foods included in the meal.<\/p>\n

\"Mallow
Mallow and thistle dehydrate at Turtle Lake Refuge on April 26. Both are wild plants that can be foraged around Durango. Foraging, particularly for mushrooms, has been on the rise around Durango as more people seek the health and environmental benefits of local foods and local plants and fungi. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Blair leads springtime foraging classes every Tuesday evening through May where participants carpool to different locations around Durango to harvest plants and do tastings and trade recipes. The first weekend of June, Blair will also hold a wild plant retreat in the La Plata Mountains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very empowering to know that you can survive off of what\u2019s growing around you,\u201d Blair said. \u201cThere\u2019s an empowerment level, but then when you go deeper there\u2019s this incredible sense of personal health that happens when we\u2019re eating plants with really high vitality and there\u2019s a connection that happens when we eat them where they teach us how to be a good steward of the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ricci, Helt and Blair, foraging is important because of the health and environmental benefits it offers. The foraging education they teach opens up a new world of plants and fungi, but it also boosts the relationship people have with their environment and with themselves.<\/p>\n

At its most basic, foraging can improve personal health by increasing the nutritional content of the food they consume.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of these wild foods \u2013 assuming you\u2019re properly identifying them and not making any scary mistakes \u2013 they\u2019re more nutritious than the greens you\u2019re going to buy in a grocery store,\u201d Helt said. \u201cIf you\u2019re picking dandelion, they have so much more nutritional content than what you would buy in a store.\u201d<\/p>\n

A study published in 2019 by researchers with the University of California Berkeley tested six of the most abundant edible weed species in urban areas around San Francisco, including dandelion, and found that they all favored comparably to kale in nutritional value.<\/p>\n

\"A
A lunch special of lettuce Kimchi wraps, creamy tomato miso soup and pineapple chia seed pudding with a mellow mallow drink at Turtle Cafe\u2019s Tuesday lunch day on April 26 in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The researchers concluded that harvested wild greens have the potential to tackle nutrition, food security and sustainability.<\/p>\n

While mushroom producers that sell to supermarkets have broadened their selections, there are still mushrooms that can only be collected by foraging, Ricci said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are starting to see some really great mushrooms suppliers entering supermarkets and natural food stores, but to be able to go out there and find exactly what you need and want for sustenance, nutrition and health is really valuable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But the health benefits of foraging extend beyond the simple consumption of plants.<\/p>\n

\u201cAside from the physical activity of walking around, it\u2019s good for our heart,\u201d Helt said. \u201cIt\u2019s good for our souls to be out in nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Numerous studies have shown that spending time outside can boost mental and physical health. A 2019 analysis published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science<\/em> found that green spaces near schools promoted cognitive development in children and exposure to the natural world improves working memory and attention.<\/p>\n

\"Turtle
Turtle Lake Refuge lunch staff members from left, Catherine Grillos, Shawna Woody, Katrina Blair and Lisa Horlick prepare food at the Turtle Cafe on April 26 in Durango. Blair, the founder of local nonprofit Turtle Lake Refuge, will incorporate foraged plants into the lunches at Turtle Cafe. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

When Blair teaches people about foraging, she has two goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne is to create optimal health (and) help people to find that journey of their own personal health, and then also to become a land steward where they care for the earth and give back in protecting our ecosystems,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Foraging has immediate environmental benefits, limiting the transportation and packaging that contribute to climate change and other environmental issues. But it also reconnects those who participate with the natural environment around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of it is teaching people to value where we live and what\u2019s here and motivate them to want to preserve things,\u201d Helt said.<\/p>\n

In teaching his clients about mycology and forests, Ricci aims to help grow their awareness of the ecosystems of Southwest Colorado and the many services they provide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope people gain a better understanding of themselves (and) a better understanding of the ecosystems and environments that they live in,\u201d he said. \u201cI always want people to understand the carbon cycle and what forests do on this planet in capturing carbon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blair notices changes in those who pick up foraging, both in their environmental awareness and their appreciation for the world around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they realize that this lowly little weed that they\u2019ve been either removing or stepping on is actually a complete protein-full course meal, it sort of blows their mind open,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople come back to me in a total ecstasy and enthusiasm of \u2018Oh! I\u2019ve been juicing my thistles and I feel amazing!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Diners
Diners sit down at the Turtle Cafe Refuge restaurant on April 26 in Durango. A study published in 2019 by researchers with the University of California Berkeley, tested six of the most abundant edible weed species in urban areas around San Francisco and found that they all favored comparably to kale in nutritional value. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Like Ricci, Blair and Helt have also noticed that interest in foraging has been growing around Durango.<\/p>\n

\u201cMonsoon season mushroom hunting has really exploded here and elsewhere,\u201d Helt said. \u201cPlant foraging, I don\u2019t see as many people out doing that as I do mushrooms, but the interest is growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Helt sees the growth in foraging as a positive as more people pursue the wild foods around them, it can also place more pressure on sensitive natural resources, which is why education either through self-teaching, classes or guided hunts is important.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs to be a responsible kind of engagement,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to do things in a sustainable manner that doesn\u2019t damage the land.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blair said the end of spring is an ideal time to begin learning about foraging.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow is an amazing time to learn because (the plants) are all poking up and getting identified,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Durango and Southwest Colorado provide remarkable bounties for foragers. The ecosystem diversity in the area creates an abundance of plant life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of different ecosystems and the edges in between them are where biodiversity increases,\u201d Ricci said. \u201cEach forest type is going to have its palette of mushrooms and palette of plants and fauna to be found.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Blair, foraging has been a lifelong study and one that continues to evolve. As is the case for many foragers, part of her journey has been a continually deepening appreciation for the wild plants that make the world vibrant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still learning so much about how we live on this place with what is here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

ahannon@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Lisa
Lisa Horlick scoops up a bowl of soup for a customer at the Turtle Cafe restaurant on April 26 in Durango. Durango and Southwest Colorado provide remarkable bounties for foragers like Katrina Blair, a Durango forager, grower, educator and plant expert, and the founder of Turtle Lake Refuge. The ecosystem diversity in the area creates an abundance of plant life. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

an ideal time to learn about nature\u2019s bounty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[431,1030,438,439,918,1712,28,3468,476,1290,1625,3270,976,199,498,2938],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-40760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-business-general","tag-environment","tag-food","tag-food-drink","tag-forests","tag-forests-and-wilderness","tag-headlines","tag-natural-resources","tag-natural-resources-general","tag-natural-science","tag-nature","tag-organic-foods","tag-outdoor-recreation","tag-san-juan-national-forest","tag-southwest-natural-resources","tag-uncompahgre-national-forest"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40760"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84748,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40760\/revisions\/84748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40760"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=40760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}