03 Magazine: April 05, 2024

Photo: Anthony Behrens
“I have been foraging fungi and plants for a while in
Christchurch, it’s been something I’m enjoying and have
been doing for a long time.
“I’m still learning.”
One of her favourites is the werewere-kokako, which
features on the cover of her book Fungi of Aotearoa,
although it is not edible.
“It’s absolutely stunning. The first time I saw it I
couldn’t believe it was that blue. That was pretty cool.”
She was surprised to see one of her favourite eating
mushrooms, porcini, growing in Hagley Park, as it is an
introduced fungi.
“It’s definitely the darling of the edible fungi world as it
is so delicious.”
Lichens are also a passion, as there are so many
interesting ones growing in New Zealand.
Lichens are a fungi and algae living together in symbiosis.
“The colours, textures, shapes and sizes, there are
no bounds.
“I love researching parasitic fungi but I haven’t seen
too many of those in the wild myself.”
The edible fungi Liv does find she likes to dehydrate
and preserve for later use, especially in the winter
to beef up soups and stocks, and for her favourite
porcini pasta.
“I slice them thin and pop on a tray in the sun so
they get a bit of air movement and they dry nicely.”
People often ask her where to find particular types
of mushrooms.
“I’m happy to tell someone where to look, but if
you do that they don’t actually get the joy of looking
for something and they don’t develop the language
of being able to read the land and understand where
to look.
“That kind of learning can be really exciting and fun.
If I told them, they’d miss out on that.
“It’s kind of foragers’ code not to do that.”
She hopes people’s interest in foraging and wild-food
sources translates into a greater passion for protecting
those sources.
“Looking after our wild-food sources is important
for food resiliency. It makes a lot of sense coming off
the back of Covid, when people had more time to
connect with nature.”
The cost of living crisis has also amplified people’s
interest in the food system, which can only be a good
thing if it gets people talking about the issues, she says.
As a result of her interest in foraging, the work she
did for the book, the food writing she does and her
involvement in Eat New Zealand, Liv has become more
aware of the issues with the country’s food system.
“I’m really interested in that topic.”