\n Farm-to-Fork Capital:\u00a0Driven by a desire to eat ethically
\n and connect with nature, more people are discovering the Capital
\n Region\u2019s wealth of hunting opportunities<\/a><\/p>\n
\n \u201cI want to eat in a way that does no unnecessary harm, and
\n even better yet, that every bite that I take is actually
\n beneficial, that it\u2019s an ecosystem service, and foraging is one
\n way to do that,\u201d Greenfield says. \u201cI love foraging because I love
\n food,\u201d he continues, and \u201cit gives me access to some of the most
\n delicious and nutritious food that exists on earth.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
A foraged feast<\/p>\n
\n In the Capital Region, with its relatively mild winters, a
\n great deal of wild food can be found year-round. Jen Benedet, an
\n experienced local forager, eats an entirely wild and homegrown
\n Thanksgiving feast every year. She serves wild game,
\n mushrooms, elderberry jam and baked goods made with
\n acorn flour.\n<\/p>\n
\n \n Jen Benedet served pumpkin pie made with acorn flour and \n While the skillset to find and cook all this food might \n Greenfield says that one of the easiest foods for beginners \n There\u2019s also an abundance of fennel, another non-native \n Many would-be foragers will be concerned about \n \n Jen Benedet forages a wide variety of plant foods, including \n Greenfield also suggests foragers pick up a reference text \n In addition to safely identifying plants before they Related:\u00a0Chefs, \n Mushrooms can be a delicious food to forage, and California Foraging rules and regulations<\/p>\n \n In California, the Department of Fish and Wildlife does not \n \n Jen Benedet makes elderberry jam from foraged berries. (Photo \n The regulations around foraging are different across \n The Bureau of Land Management sometimes \n Given this complicated web of legal jurisdictions, to which Urban foraging in Sacramento<\/p>\n \n In addition to the wild bounty that can be found across \n \n A tree full of tangerines grows in West Sacramento. (Shutterstock \n Greenfield says that even a relatively novice forager could![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/98bbdb29-2b16-42ab-98bd-8c3ef8c041f0_1.png\" "\\"Jen")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n homegrown pumpkin at a recent Thanksgiving. (Photo courtesy of
\n Jen Benedet)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n take years to develop, new foragers can learn about one plant at
\n a time and work their way up to a fully foraged meal. Benedet
\n says that good foraging ethics dictate that foragers not take
\n more than one-third of what is available, leaving plenty for
\n nature and other animals that rely on wild food.\n<\/p>\n
\n to find and identify in the region is wild mustard. \u201cThis is a
\n plant that\u2019s considered invasive, that is harmful to the
\n ecosystem because it competes with native plants,\u201d he says. \u201cWild
\n mustard is one of my favorite vegetables. You can eat it just
\n like you would broccoli, saute it or blanch it, or add it into
\n your stir fries, or your soups and stews.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n species. Greenfield says he likes to eat the tender shoots, but
\n the flowers, leaves and dried seeds are also edible.
\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n misidentifying some of these plants, perhaps confusing them
\n with \u201ctoxic lookalikes.\u201d Greenfield
\n teaches occasional foraging classes in Sacramento
\n \u00a0and says there are many other resources available,
\n such as the
\n Find a Forager<\/a> \u00a0database. Through this
\n platform, beginners can meet experienced nearby foragers who can
\n help identify safe plants without toxic lookalikes.\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/661649d6-a942-4fa4-b1ff-4286dafbcc4a_1.png\" "\\"Jen")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n these curly dock seeds and white hoarhound leaves. (Photo
\n courtesy of Jen Benedet)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n like \u201cCalifornia
\n Foraging<\/a> \u201d by Judith Lowrie, which includes
\n images of edible plants and a guide to distinguishing them from
\n any toxic lookalikes.\n<\/p>\n
\n consume them, new foragers in the Capital Region ought to be
\n conscious of the region\u2019s snake and tick population. Although
\n snakebites remain uncommon, with fatalities in the single digits
\n each year across the country, foragers should be snake conscious
\n when travelling through tall grass, walking off trail and
\n searching for food in fallen timber. All of these behaviors are
\n likely to increase the likelihood of a snake interaction,
\n according to the
\n University of California Davis\u2019 peer-reviewed
\n guidelines<\/a> on living with rattlesnakes. Foragers
\n should also be sure to do a
\n tick sweep<\/a> \u00a0after spending time in tall
\n grass, as
\n Lyme disease<\/a> \u00a0is present in the
\n region.\n<\/p>\n
\n Growers and Citizen Scientists Are Embracing Mushroom Foraging
\n and Its Culinary Potential<\/a><\/p>\n
\n is home to many edible varieties. However, beginning foragers
\n should never pick mushrooms or anything else they can\u2019t identify.
\n Foragers advise that beginners pick a sample and bring it to an
\n experienced forager to identify it before harvesting mushrooms
\n for consumption. In 2025, f
\n oragers mistaking death cap<\/a> mushrooms for edible
\n varieties caused 21 poisoning cases and one fatality.\n<\/p>\n
\n regulate foraging as it does hunting. However, the CDFW is
\n attempting to educate and recruit more outdoorspeople through its
\n Recruit, Retain and Reactivate program, which it calls R3. The R3
\n program has hosted a webinar on foraging \u2014 also available as
\n on-demand videos \u2014 through its
\n Harvest Huddle Hour<\/a> \u00a0program, which is
\n designed for adults learning about or returning to the
\n outdoors. The CDFW\u2019s
\n \u00a0R3 webpage<\/a> is another useful resource for
\n would-be foragers, including a guide to regulations on harvest of
\n some wild and marine plants, the permits required to gather
\n firewood on public land, and resources for identifying plants and
\n finding public lands to forage on.\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fullsizerender_1.png\" "\\"Jen")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n courtesy of Jen Benedet)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n federal, state and private land. The Forest Service, for
\n example,
\n \u00a0does not require a permit<\/a> \u00a0if you
\n gather less than 1 gallon of mushrooms per year. Some areas of
\n National Forests, however, are closed to harvesting mushrooms;
\n these can be found on the
\n appropriate page<\/a>\u00a0of each given National
\n Forest website.\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n requires a permit<\/a> \u00a0and asks that anyone
\n interested contact its local office. While the CDFW does not
\n require foragers to be licensed as they do hunters and fishers,
\n it should be noted that foraging in
\n California State Parks<\/a> \u00a0and CDFW lands is
\n strictly limited by law. Sierra Pacific
\n , a forestry company that is the largest private landowner
\n in California, allows recreational use of its Capital Region land
\n but
\n \u00a0prohibits foraging<\/a> .\n<\/p>\n
\n we can also add counties and cities, Greenfield suggests
\n beginners work \u201cone plant at a time.\u201d Once they can identify a
\n plant, they can explore the legal constraints on where they can
\n harvest it and progress legally and safely into the hobby without
\n risking legal consequences or their health.\n<\/p>\n
\n California, Greenfield says there is a great deal of food to be
\n found in the city. Many edible plants, such as rosemary and
\n loquats, are grown primarily as landscaping plants, and their
\n food value is often ignored. Resources such as
\n
\n Falling Fruit<\/a> , which has thousands of locations
\n listed in Sacramento alone, can help new foragers find food in
\n the city. Just be sure to ask permission if the plants are on
\n private land.\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/shutterstock_1260579271.jpg\" "\\"A")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n photo)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n easily assemble a dinner party entirely from food foraged around
\n the Capital Region. He suggests starting with a salad of wild
\n greens \u2014 these might include miner\u2019s lettuce, wild mustard,
\n purslane and chickweed. Seasoning could perhaps come from wild
\n Peruvian pepper. This could be followed with a fruit plate,
\n including loquats, blackberries and even wild strawberries.
\n Finish with one of the many teas or infusions that can be made
\n with foraged ingredients.\n<\/p>\n