Hooray for budding trees and shoots emerging from the ground- it’s Spring!
Yachats is a great place for foraging some Springtime staples, including fresh greens such as nettles, miners lettuce, fiddleheads, even wild onions, salmonberry, and more. Much like mushroom hunting, foraging in the Spring needs to be approached with a certain amount of reverence and respect for these wild places. One of the biggest things to remember is-do not over harvest, take only what you need and always leave a substantial amount of the foragable, in it’s natural place. This ensures that these special areas and species will be here for you and others to enjoy for decades to come. Also make sure to always take care of the environment you’re in, which depending on where you are, includes not going off trail and/or knowledge of whether an area is legally foragable, etc. One more heads up- don’t forage on the sides of roads or in high pedestrian areas, things growing in these areas are very prone to absorbing things you wouldn’t want to consume, including run off, sprays, fumes, and dog pee.
Starting out with a few local ID books is a great way to dip your toe into foraging. The Cape Perpetua Visitors Center has a stellar array of local books for purchase, that are very specific to the region and are up to date! While you’re at the CPVC, you can also enjoy any one of their beautiful hiking trails to test your new books and begin your foraging journey! It’s recommended to get yourself very well acquainted with one or two local species to start with. Once you feel like you can ID them in the wild, know what their use is/preparation, and have eaten them yourself, then slowly add a few more species to the mix!
Dandelions are a great starting point, as they are found all over in abundance, and are familiar to most folks. Miners Lettuce is another great beginners species, as it has a distinct look to it, is loaded with vitamin C, and is a great addition to anything you put it in, or you can just snack on it raw! Subsequently, if you want to go straight to enjoying these tasty treats without looking for them, local restaurants such as ONA, often feature Yachats area foraged ingredients in the Spring, sure to make your palate sing!
Photographer and Author: Girl in Water Photography
