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Foraging adventures with Mia Andler, ‘The Sierra Forager’

BY PRIYA HUTNER

an herbalist. She is an educator and forager.

Andler runs a nature nonprofit geared toward educating children and offers programs throughout the summer and fall months. She is also available for adult and family foraging walks. Her book “The Sierra Forager,” which includes 44 recipes, is available through her website. | thisferalfinn.com n

Foraging

for food is an art and a skill that can be fun, healthy and educational. Foraging in Tahoe is easy if you know what you are looking for, but it can also be deadly.

Mia Andler, forager, educator and author of “The Sierra Forager,” teaches children and adults what plants are edible, what’s in season, when to harvest and what plants to avoid. Her new book is a guide to edible plants in the Tahoe, Yosemite and Mammoth regions. The opening lines, “What if you could taste a place? What would the High Sierra taste like?” immediately piqued my interest. Her suggestion is to forage and taste the bounty available in the Sierra.

In Finland, where Andler was born, foraging is common. Her grandmother taught her about foraging off the land. Andler came to the States when she was 15. She moved to Tahoe City after college and immersed herself in outdoor education and learning about edible plants in California.

I met Andler for a walk along the Legacy Trail in Truckee to discuss her love of foraging and to show me a few edible plants that grow in the area. Within minutes, Andler pointed out several docks; the tall plant had brown seeds and grew abundantly along the trail. Andler explained that the seeds should be harvested when they are dry and can be used for flour to make crackers and bread. The leaves and stalks are also edible, but Andler said they should be cooked.

We meandered on and Andler showed me salsify. This plant yields big, puffy, seed balls like a dandelion. The plant’s root was a popular vegetable used during the Middle Ages. The leaves can be cooked like greens and the flowers can be eaten raw. It’s an invasive plant in the Tahoe area. Andler said that many edibles are high in minerals and vitamins.

Each season yields different kinds of edibles to forage. Winter is the most challenging, but not impossible, time to forage.

Stinging nettle is an early spring plant that should be harvested before it flowers. I leaned down to an older plant and promptly got a nettle embedded in my thumb.

We walked along the trail where yarrow and mullein plants (great for tea) are abundant. Andler pointed out several thimbleberries and currant plants along our walk. She explained both berries of these plants are ready in late summer, as are elderberries and gooseberries.

Manzanita is another edible plant. The berries are harvested in the late summer. Andler said it is important when foraging to harvest sustainably and not pick every berry from a plant. The animals in the area eat these berries to survive.

Andler is concerned about people foraging and not knowing what plants are edible or poisonous. She worries that people will accidentally consume poison hemlock and water hemlock that grows in Tahoe. It’s in the carrot family and often can be easily mistaken for an edible. It’s essential to forage with someone knowledgeable about edible plants.

Andler suggested a few edibles that are easy for beginning foragers.

“One of the beginner plants to forage is pine and fir needles. If it smells like a Christmas tree, it’s safe to eat. The best time to eat needles is when they are fresh,” she said.

Another edible plant is the wild rose, which is beautiful. The flowers are edible and abundant in Tahoe. Andler loves the rosehips in the area.

While many plants are edible, we don’t necessarily want to harvest them.

“There are things that are edible and they’re tasty and we want to harvest them. There are things that are edible, but they’re not that great and there are things that are too tough or too spiky to eat. This is how we select the plants we work with these days. Can they travel well? Are they too much trouble to harvest like stinging nettle? I think it has fallen out of popularity, even though it’s an amazing superfood,” she said. After my walk with Andler, I see edible plants wherever I walk or hike. While many wild plants in Tahoe have medicinal value, Andler says she is not

Salsify Stir Fry

From the kitchen of Mia Andler

Reprinted with permission from “The Sierra Forager”

Handful of salsify roots, well washed, lightly peeled & cut into pieces salsify leaves

4 potatoes, chopped

3 T cooking oil of your choice

Salt & pepper to taste

Other vegetables, if desired

Mia Andler says stir fries are an easy way to incorporate wild edible foods into a meal. Salsify stalks are like asparagus or bamboo shoots, make sure to choose young, soft, salsify roots that are well peeled.

Wash the salsify roots and potatoes and boil or steam them for 20 to 30 minutes.

Toss them into a pan with oil, leaves and season with salt and pepper. Add any other vegetables.