Class Report
Urban Foraging
Teacher: April Thompson
Location: Bruce Monroe Park, Columbia Heights
Date: June. 20, 2015
See more photos of this class on Flickr!
In KCDC’s Urban Foraging class, students learned how to find wild edibles in their own neighborhoods.
Disclaimer: The purpose of these photos and captions is to show some of the plants we encountered. They should NOT be used as guide to identify plants. It is very easy to mix up edible and non-edible plants, and you should not attempt plant foraging without an expert.
The class began with April, our instructor, giving us some safety and environmental tips. Then we were off to see Columbia Heights and its plants.
One of the first plants we tried was oxalis acetosella, or wood sorrel. The plant resembled a shamrock and tasted like a lemon drop.
We also saw some indian strawberries, whose flavor was simply described as “mushy.”
One of the last plants April showed us was wild garlic, which looked and smelled like regular garlic.
At the end of the class, April took us to her local community garden. While not technically urban foraging, our visit underscored the point that edible plants can be found anywhere.
Want to learn more about urban foraging? Check out these resources.
Matt’s Habitats: Matt leads plant identification walks in the D.C. metro area. These walks are geared towards adults and teach how to identify plants, including edible ones.
Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants
“Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat”