By Cinda Chavich | Photo by Indra McMorran

Foraging is a hot topic among chefs, but how about digging around in the backyard for something new and interesting to eat?

Mikaela Cannon is an organic farmer and forager based in the North Okanagan and says she can feed her family of four with food she produces and forages herself, including the edible “weeds,” plants and trees in her own backyard.

During a walk through one of Victoria’s public food forests — Spring Ridge Commons in Fernwood, one of several across the city where anyone is welcome to forage for food — Cannon pointed to a variety of tasty plants, ranging from miner’s lettuce and nettles to burdock, sorrel, rosehips and edible conifers. You can also create a year-round permaculture space at home just by planting some native plants, whether the aforementioned miner’s lettuce and nettles or things like elderberry, oxeye daisies and Oregon grape. You can also designate a corner for “weeds” such as chickweed, lamb’s quarters and dandelions, all healthy greens for the salad bowl.

Cannon blogs (at forestfables.ca) and offers workshops focused on responsible foraging and wildcrafting from her farm near Armstrong. Her new book, Foraging as a Way of Life (New Society Publishers), is a guide that will inspire you to gather dinner while doing your weeding.


For an easy way to turn backyard finds into something delicious, try this Stinging Nettle Pesto—a fresh twist on a classic that makes the most of what nature has to offer right at your doorstep.