Q&A with The Happy Forager
We spoke to Dan Massey AKA The Happy Forager @thehappyforager about how he got into foraging and his passion for being outdoors, and why he is encouraging us to do the same!
“I have always foraged, I have fond memories of blackberry picking and using giant puffballs as footballs when a child, but my foraging career as a professional happened after I felt it was time for me to do something different with my life so I gradually built up my knowledge of what was edible while working with a couple of wild food businesses, I got a thrill from knowing food I had foraged was being used by restaurants around the country. Now my interest has grown to include living sustainably and sharing the knowledge and passion I have for foraged foods with others.
Foraging is a great excuse to be outdoors, which alone is so beneficial to your wellbeing and being able to slow down in a world that spins so fast. Knowledge is also key to simply being able to feed yourself from the natural food we have all around us and it's very possible to do so. For example something as simple as coffee can be made from dandelion root, we all spend a fortune each week on coffee from supermarkets, as it's so convenient. But to give someone the opportunity to make their own ‘coffee’, and give them the knowledge of how to make it brings so much satisfaction and is far more beneficial to the maker than just buying a bag of coffee.
Being aware of your surroundings when you are outside is key to foraging, wild food is all around us; on the walk to school or the journey to work you will pass edible ingredients. You need to educate yourself, there are plenty of books and online information, but there are also friendly inclusive communities on Social Media, and of course you can also take part in professionally led workshops. Foraging does take time and it’s important to educate yourself about each ingredient before moving onto the next, it takes time to learn all there is to know, but the rewards are massive - even if you can just confidently identify one wild food which you can use in your home cooking.
As for my favourite things to forage - it would have to be Mushrooms, not necessarily just for the eating, they just continue to fascinate me. I also love razor clams and wild leeks, these would be my top wild foods.”