Plants many people brush off as weeds can actually be put to good use, as long as you have knowledge about what the land around us can provide.
An Instagram post from Our Living Earth (@our.livingearth) explored that idea through Southern California woodlands and desert, urging viewers to look at familiar growth differently.
Here's what to know
Southern California forager Pascal Baudar said, "A lot of those plants that we see around us, called 'weeds' — those were actually food."
Baudar noted that only a few generations back, someone in your family may have known from experience which plants were edible, which were used medicinally, and which were best left alone.
However, wild foods should not be approached casually, because many edible plants closely resemble toxic ones.
More background
Baudar presented foraging not as a quirky trend but as inherited knowledge that took shape over many generations, only to fade quickly as modern food systems became the norm.
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Getting better at identifying edible plants can strengthen a person's connection to local ecosystems and may trim food costs when safely identified ingredients supplement a meal. Even so, it is not a realistic substitute for regular grocery shopping, and the danger rises sharply when identification is uncertain.
What can be done?
In practice, that means seeking out experienced teachers, guided walks, or local classes rather than depending on a handful of online clips.
For beginners, a more realistic goal is not to forage an entire meal but to learn to recognize a few common plants, understand where gathering is legal, and know why some species should be left untouched.
"Forage responsibly: many wild plants have toxic look-alikes," Our Living Earth wrote in the caption. "Never eat what you can't identify with certainty."
Ultimately, foraging is a way to recover dormant knowledge rather than flee modern life.
"The old knowing isn't lost — it's dormant," Our Living Earth added. "Let's start remembering again."
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