Your Guide to Urban Foraging in Philadelphia

City Cast Philly host Trenae Nuri and producer Abby Fritz recently took a trip to Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park with Lynn Landes, the creator of Wild Foodies of Philly.

Here are some of Landes' tips for finding useful, edible plants in the city:

How to get involved

Wild Foodies of Philly hosts educational tours from March to November where you can learn about the uses of local wild plants.

Landes also suggests that aspiring urban foragers start by downloading a plant identification app. Once you have the name of a plant, head over to the Plants for a Future website to discover its uses. She says PFAF is the “gold standard” for foragers.

Some useful plants found in Lemon Hill

• Broad-leaf and narrow-leaf plantain can soothe itchy skin
• Paper mulberry can be used to make paper and cloth
• Wineberry, similar to a raspberry, can be used in pies, jams and drinks

Cautions

Never consume any plant that you haven’t first identified. Even after you’ve identified it, eat it slowly. Some people might want to rub the plant or leaf on the back of their neck or under their chin to check for a potential allergic reaction.

Limitations

It’s illegal to forage on city property, but plucking up plantain and dandelion leaves in moderation is okay.

“If you’re just going to pluck a flower here or there and take some mulberries from a mulberry tree, they're not going to object to that,” Landes says.

Learn more about urban foraging in this episode of City Cast Philly.