1889 AugSept 2017

home + design
Farm to Table
Wild Bounty
Foraging for the forest's
freshest flavors
written by Corinne Whiting
WHILE MAINSTREAM CONSUMERS
increasingly inquire where their food
comes from, foragers have been paying
attention all along. Getting out in the dirt
and digging for one’s food has thrived
here in the Pacific Northwest, beginning
with the first native residents who lived
off this rich land. At long last, others are
taking note.
“I think the growing interest stems from
the local foods movement at its heart,”
said Alex Winstead of Bellingham-based
Cascadia Mushrooms. ”People want to
connect with their region through the
foods they eat. There is no better way to get
in touch with the season and the place you
are than to enjoy a foraged meal [gathered
by] you and your friends and family.”
Amy Augustine, communications
director and forager at Seattle-based
Foraged and Found Edibles, came across
the hidden culture while working farmers
markets in Seattle’s University District
(Saturdays) and Ballard (Sundays). She
encounters enthusiasts who range from
her 4-year-old daughter to elderly Russian
grandmothers expressing nostalgia for
the art of foraging. “It feels good to go
out and eat the food you pick,” she said.
“It’s empowering, and you see how much
work goes into it. … It gives a whole
new appreciation.”
Launched in 2001, Foraged and Found
Edibles now supplies wild mushrooms,
greens, berries and teas to hundreds
of restaurants and markets around the
country. Owner Jeremy Faber, a Culinary
Institute of America alum, realized
while working in prestigious Seattle-area
kitchens like The Herbfarm that—instead
of ordering mushrooms from
really expensive sources—he
could head into the woods to
find them himself.
26 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2017