Free local food?

[Mary Lockerbie]

Okay, guys, here's a possible discussion - somewhere along the way I watched a TV programme (based in the UK) that features groups of people who went out into their local areas to take advantage of fruit and vegetables that were growing wild, and were therefore free - things like black berries in hedgerows and apple trees on common land etc. Do you think there's anything like this in the Dunedin area that we could take advantage of? I do remember picking blackberries by the bus stop on Brockville Road when i was growing up . . . which used to freak my mother out because she was certain the council sprayed them with pesticide (which is, of course, a consideration I guess). What do you think?

[octopusgrrl]

I think I'd be a bit nervous about stuff growing beside the road, not just because of possible pesticide contamination but also because of all the road pollution they'd get :( I haven't come across much growing on common land here, but I know that the Transition Valley 473 group are trying to organise some fruit tree planting in the local area. I used to "scrump" for NZ grapefruit/poor man's oranges when I lived up in Tauranga (just go up to the door of a house with trees laden with fruit and ask if they'd mind if I picked some!) and I'm sure there's plenty of people with apple trees in Dunedin that would be happy to get rid of some fruit, esp. in autumn. I belong to a mailing list which is all about finding wild foods in NZ, whether you can eat them and how to cook them, but it's pretty low traffic atm (can't find the link at present but will post it when I do!) There's always gorse wine ;)

[octopusgrrl]

Some cool links I found when looking for the Wild Foragers mailing list:

Urban Foraging in Auckland & Christchurch

An interesting NZ wild food blog

List of online self-sufficiency books

[Lynsey Ferrari]

I no longer live in Dunedin but I remember foraging happily in several places in and around that city - mushrooms, artichokes, blackberries, edible chestnuts - I don't know if those various sites are still producing but I do know there are old fruit trees scattered about which can be discovered on a ramble. I suggest you just go looking, and asking. Better still, plant a few berry and nut bushes of your own; or ger the council onside for some productive public spaces. If you're concerned about spray I expect you can find out from your council if they've been spraying a particular area recently.

[Yvonne Symons]

I am new to Dunedin and I would also be interested to know of a list of places to go.

[liz]

i would also love to know hwere i could go foraging around dunedin - where are the mushrooms???the apple trees and the blackcurrants and blackberries??? i do hope there is someone out there who can help us - i am sure the dcc in all its madness hasnt sprayed off everything - surely?? can we start up a group of people who can plant out trees etc for the future or is this already happening

[octopusgrrl]

I've been told that there are heaps of blackberries growing at the back of Chingford Park, but I haven't been up there to check it out myself. There seems to be heaps of elderberries growing all over the place as well - once you know what to look for, you see them everywhere!

[Yvonne Symons]

Well people I guess we start walking the streets and see what we can find.

[Jess McLay]

I would be keen to come along and help out too! Also would be keen to find weeds that rabbits eat :)