class:textShadow ## Wild and Feral Foods in Urban Farms, Gardens, and Ecosystems
## Philip B. Stark, Tom Carlson,
Kristen Rasmussen, Eric Berlow ## http://forage.berkeley.edu ### ESPM 117 Urban Garden Ecosystems, UC Berkeley
20 October 2015 --- background-image: url(./ForagePics/salad.jpg) class:textShadow # .blue[There _is_ free lunch] --- ### Eating the "volunteers" + What's a weed?
Primarily, a plant growing where it isn't wanted.
+ Many "weeds" are
*nutritious, delicious, traditional wild foods*
. + Suburban lawns are
_green deserts_
: no food. + .blue[**Many urban "food deserts" are accidental lush gardens where you can reap without sowing.**] + We've found 104 edible species in the East Bay—so far + IPM: _ingestive pest management_. .blue[invasivory: eat the aliens]
--- ### Some Non-native Edibles in East Bay (nb: "native" is a troubled term) +
Achillea millefolium
in Asteraceae, yarrow +
Allium cernuum
in Amaryllidaceae, nodding onion +
Brassica nigra
in Brassicaceae
, field mustard +
Carduus pycnocephalus
in Asteracea
, Italian thistle +
Chenopodium album
in Chenopodiaceae, lamb's quarters, fat-hen +
Cirsium vulgare
in Asteracea
, spear thistle, common thistle, bull thistle +
Convolvulus arvensis
in Colvolvulacea, field bindweed +
Erodium cicutarium
in Geraniaceae, redstem filaree, common stork's-bill, pinweed +
Foeniculum vulgare
in Apiaceae
, Fennel +
Fragaria spp.
in Rosaceae, wild strawberries +
Galium aparine
in Rubiaceae, cleavers +
Helminthotheca echioides
in Asteracea
, bristly ox tongue +
Heracleum maximum
in Apiaceae
, cow parsnip +
Hirschfeldia incana
in Brassicacae
, shortpod mustard, hoary mustard, Mediterranean mustard +
Hypochaeris radicata
in Asteraceae
, Cat's ear +
Lactuca
in Asteraceae
, lettuce family +
Lactuca canadensis
in Asteraceae, wild lettuce +
Lactuca serriola
in Asteraceae, prickly lettuce --- +
Lactuca virosa
in Asteraceae, wild lettuce, bitter lettuce, opium lettuce +
Maianthemum racemosum
in Ruscacea, false lily of the valley, false Solomon's seal +
Malva neglecta
in Malvaceae
, mallow +
Malva sylvestris
in Malvaceae
, mallow +
Matricaria discoidea
in Asteraceae, chamomile, pineapple weed +
Mentha spicata
in Lamiaceae, spearmint +
Oxalis pes-caprae
in Oxalidaceae
, sourgrass, wood sorrel, Bermuda buttercup +
Plantago lanceolata
in Plantaginaceae
, plantago or plantain +
Plantago major
in Plantaginaceae
, plantago or plantain +
Portulaca oleracea
in Portulacaceae, purslane or pigweed +
Prunus domestica
in Rosaceae
, plum +
Raphanus raphanistrum
in Brassicaceae
, wild radish or jointed charlock +
Rosmarinus officinalis
in Lamiaceae
, rosemary +
Rubus armeniacus
in Rosaceae
, blackberries +
Rumex acetosella
in Polygonaceae, Sheep sorrel +
Rumex crispus
in Polygonaceae
, curly dock +
Rumex obtusifolius
in Polygonaceae
, broad-leafed dock +
Salvia leucophylla
in Lamiaceae
, purple sage +
Sambucus melanocarpa
in Adoxaceae, black elderberry --- +
Sambucus callicarpa
in Adoxaceae, red elderberry +
Silybum marianum
in Asteracea
, milk thistle +
Solanum nigrum
, black nightshade +
Sonchus asper
in Asteraceae
, sow thistle, spiny sow thistle, prickly sow thistle +
Sonchus oleraceus
in Asteraceae
, sow thistle, common sow thistle +
Stellaria media
in Caryophyllaceae
, chickweed +
Taraxacum officinale
in Asteraceae
, dandelion +
Trifolium repens
in Fabaceae, clover, white clover +
Tropaeolum majus
in Tropaeolaceae
, nasturtium +
Urtica dioica
in Urticaceae
, nettles +
Vaccinium ovatum
in Ericaceae, huckleberry +
Vicia americana
in Faboideae, purple vetch +
Vicia sativa
in Faboideae, common vetch --- ### Many natives as well +
Aesculus californica
in Sapindaceae, California buckeye, California horse-chestnut +
Artemisia douglasiana
in Asteraceae, California mugwort, Douglas's sagewort +
Castilleja spp.
in Orobanchaceae, Indian paintbrush (flowers only; greens inedible) +
Cercis occidentalis
in Fabaceae, western redbud +
Chlorogalum pomeridianum
in Asparagaceae, wavy-leafed soap plant, California soaproot, Amole (root only) +
Claytonia perfoliata
in Portulacaceae
, miner's lettuce +
Dichelostemma capitatum
in Brodiaeoideae, blue dicks +
Equisetum arvense
in Equisetacea, field horsetail +
Eschscholzia californica
in Papaveraceae, California poppy +
Lactuca ludoviciana
in Asteraceae, western wild lettuce +
Monardella villosa
in Lamiaceae, coyote mint +
Opuntia spp.
in Cactaceae, Nopale, prickly pear cactus +
Oxalis californica
in Oxalidaceae, wood sorrel +
Quercus agrifolia
in Fagaceae
, coast live oak +
Umbellularia californica
in Lauraceae
, California Bay Laurel --- ## What's the science? + US diet lacks micronutrients & fiber (not calories, mostly) + Record drought in California + **Wild foods are self-sustaining, drought tolerant (zero water), carbon neutral.** + Hyper-local, hyper-fresh, hyper-nutritious: micronutrients & fiber + Mapping occupancy, availability, servings of wild edibles in 3 urban food deserts: Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland + Testing soil for lead and other metals + Testing plant tissue for nutritional value and toxicity + Measuring seasonal variations in abundance and nutritional value + Socioeconomic questions, sensory questions (mouth feel, bitterness, etc.) --- background-image: url(./ForagePics/iNat-15-5-3.jpg) --- background-image: url(./ForagePics/iNat-15-5-3b.jpg) --- ### Urban Farms and Gardens + "Accidental" food crops grow between the rows. + Edible weed ID tours with Gill Tract, WILD Oakland, Peralta Community Garden
--- ## Farmers Market Surveys 1. Phat Beets North Oakland (double EBT/SNAP Market Match) 1. Phat Beets Destiny Arts (double EBT/SNAP Market Match) 1. Temescal (EBT/SNAP) 1. Grand Lake (EBT/SNAP) 1. Richmond (WIC EBT/SNAP) ≈ 240 respondents
--- ## Improving nutrition in food deserts + Increasing rates of childhood obesity and Type II diabetes; high in food deserts + Healthful, fresh food is _already growing_ where it's needed—and it's free. + What's missing is _information_. + Access to information—knowledge—translates directly to access to nutritious food: species eaten for eons. + Opportunity for educators to help feed people by providing information.
--- ### Soil tests + Tested 28 samples for lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals. + Lead levels elevated in one sample from W. Oakland, but all within "safe" range for gardening. ### Plant tissue toxin tests + heavy metals (Pb, As, Cd, Cr, Cu) (results favorable even in "troubled" soil) + nitrophenols + pthlates + organophosphates (including TCP) + BTEX + chlorinated benzenes + polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD), also TCDD + polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) + polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) + polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) Intend to water wash to simulate home preparation ### Nutritional tests + standard panel + polyphenols, antioxidants --- ## Farming, foraging, and fine dining + Edible weeds comprise up to 40% of the biomass some farms produce.
*We're throwing away delicious, nutritious food, during a drought.* + 11 of the top 15 "nuisance" plants reported by Bay Area urban farmers are edible (Altieri, Pallud, Matzen, Arnold) + Same soil/toxics issues apply to farming and foraging + Top-rated restaurant in the world is Noma (Copenhagen): foraged menu + Partnered with Cesar, Chez Panisse, The Perennial+Mission Chinese, Mission:Heirloom & local farms to get weeds on plates, including: acorns, black locust, bristly ox tongue, calendula, cow parsnip, dandelion, douglas fir, lambsquarters, madrone, manzanita, mugwort, nasturtium, nettles, nodding onions, oxalis, pineapple weed, plantago, redbud, sweet fennel, wild almonds, wild mustard, wild radish, yarrow, yerba buena + Seeking/connecting with "weed-friendly" farms (Green String, Cannard Farms, Say Hay, Capay Valley Farm Shop, F.E.E.D. Sonoma, LivingWild) ---
--- ## Student and community involvement + 14 undergrads (Ethnobotany) helped map the abundance of wild foods in the three study areas + 10 undergrads conducted surveys about barriers to consumption of wild foods (Human Food Practices, part of the American Cultures Engaged Scholarship Program) + 3 undergrads investigated toxins in wild edible plants: which to measure, sample preparation, etc. (Human Food Practices, part of the American Cultures Engaged Scholarship Program) + 2 grad (MPH) students researched legal parameters of serving foraged wild foods in restaurants (Foodservice Management, final project) + 1 grad (Stat) student worked on data cleaning, aggregation of abundance measurements by address + Community volunteers for mapping + Berkeley Path Wanderers, Peralta Community Garden, Gill Tract, Wild Oakland --- ## Milestones & Public Events .left-column[
] .right-column[ + Abundance maps (nearly 600 observations) + Soil tests for heavy metals (28 samples) + Plant tissue tests for heavy metals + Guide to Bay Area Baker's Dozen Wild Edibles
(donate ≥$15 givetocal.berkeley.edu/BOSF) + Surveys in farmers markets + Tastings with chefs + Wild Food Week + Public food identification walks and garden visits (Berkeley Path Wanderers, Peralta, Gill Tract, Wild Oakland, Simons Institute, BIDS)
] --- ### Press http://forage.berkeley.edu/#press NY Times, BBC, The Times of London, The Atlantic / Citylab, Salon.com, Grist, Lucky Peach, Civil Eats, TakePart, onEarth, Earth Island Journal, California Magazine, Motherboard / Vice, SF Chronicle, SFGate, East Bay Express, Edible East Bay, Growing Magazine, KQED, KALW, KPFA, NBC, CBS, UC Newsroom, …
--- .framed[
We work on food equity, sustainability, nutrition, and gastronomy. We focus on increasing the supply of fresh, affordable, nutritious, drought-resistant, low-carbon-impact greens, especially in urban food deserts. Our work includes mapping the availability and abundance of wild and feral edible plants. We test urban soils and plants for nutrition and toxicity. We promote urban foraging through education and outreach, including teaching plant identification and publishing field guides. We work with community and commercial farms, produce suppliers, markets, and restaurants to create a supply chain and a market for wild and feral edible plants, thereby reducing food waste, improving farm yields, improving nutrition, and providing interesting, exotic new ingredients for chefs. We seek to change public policy to increase the availability of free, fresh nutritious foods in cities, in part by stopping the use of herbicides on public lands and allowing foraging of invasive species on public lands, and in part by promoting the design of parks that provide food and habitat for wildlife. ] --- ## Some nice coverage + http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/opinion/mark-bittman-a-walk-on-the-wild-edibles-side.html + http://luckypeach.com/out-of-the-weeds/ + http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/09/opinion/09bittman.html + http://www.salon.com/2015/04/18/weeds_are_the_future_of_fine_dining_partner/ + http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Wild-Food-Week-298812881.html + http://blog.sfgate.com/inthemission/2015/04/05/its-wild-food-week-and-weeds-are-on-the-menu/ + http://www.citylab.com/work/2015/04/how-do-you-convince-people-to-eat-weeds/389357/ --- ## What are we as humans? + Hunter-gatherers—foragers—from the dawn of our species + Local, personal agriculture starting ≈10,000 years ago.
Selective breeding for toxicity, taste, yield + Large-scale agriculture and agribusiness starting a few generations ago.
Selective breeding for yield, pest resistance, durability, shelf life, appearance + Renewed interest in local agriculture, small farms, urban farming over the last few decades + Selective breeding for taste—especially sweetness—has made food less nutritious: many phytonutrients are bitter + Monoculture isn't good for us or for the soil + Water needs and ecological impact of agribusiness are extreme + Agribusiness has severed our ties to the earth; taught us that food comes from a factory wrapped in plastic + People *buy* dandelion and purslane in farmers' markets—and take it home in plastic bags: we don't recognize food unless it's handed to us. --- ## Strategy for UCB: Edible Campus ### Hope UCB will incorporate foraging into its pest management plan Potential benefits: + Reduce use of glyphosate and other herbicides + Reduce other costs + Improve connection to nature; recognize we're part of an ecosystem + Education + Improve nutrition and food security for students + Model for other universities and municipalities --- ### A Wild Vision for Berkeley: ## Reducing herbicides, costs, and water; increasing nutrition and food security UC Berkeley Physical Plant Services uses herbicides to manage "weeds," including annual or semi-annual application across much of campus. This exposes UCB employees,[1] students,[2] and faculty to toxic and carcinogenic chemicals[3] that remain on plants and in the soil, drain into Strawberry Creek, and eventually into the Bay. UC Berkeley has severe budget constraints. California is in a 1200-year drought. Physical Plant Services is replanting or mulching parts of campus to reduce water use. And some Berkeley students go hungry or inadequately nourished.[4] (The Berkeley Food Pantry seeks to improve student access to affordable, nutritious, fresh food.) --- Berkeley Open Source Food has documented that dozens of campus "weeds" are in fact delicious, nutritious, drought-tolerant foods that, moreover, produce beautiful flowers that attract pollinators. UC Berkeley can save water, reduce the exposure of staff, students, and faculty to toxic chemicals, reduce environmental contamination, and improve nutrition and food security by allowing foraging of non-native, invasive species on campus and educating the campus community. Cultivating low-water or no-water edible gardens could contribute even more to campus welfare. Berkeley Open Source Food is happy to take the lead in educating our community about wild foods; testing soil and plant safety; and partnering with The Berkeley Food Pantry, The Berkeley Food Institute, Cal Dining, University Health Services, and Berkeley Facilities Services to cultivate an "edible campus" and promote sustainable, equitable, low water and low carbon-footprint nutrition. Other schools, including Harvard University, The University of Pennsylvania, The University of Colorado at Boulder, The University of British Columbia, The University of Arizona, and The University of Michigan, have reduced or eliminated the use of herbicides, substituting non-toxic methods to control weeds. But this appears to be the first project to couple eliminating herbicides with drought management, nutrition, and food security. This is an opportunity for Berkeley to lead in a way that is moral, visionary, ecological, inexpensive, and visible. It harmonizes with President Napolitano’s Global Food Initiative. It could become a model for other campuses and municipalities. --- [1] The staff who prepare and apply the herbicides are exposed most directly. [2] It is disturbing to see students lying on the grass shortly after herbicides have been applied. [3] The World Health Organization has listed glyphosate as probably carcinogenic in humans (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045%2815%2970134-8/abstract), and the California EPA has proposed listing glyphosate as a carcinogen (http://oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/admin_listing/intent_to_list/090415LCset27.html). [4] See http://news.berkeley.edu/2015/05/13/campus-partnership-builds-safety-net-for-hungry-students/ --- Authors: * Tom Carlson, Integrative Biology * Tyrone Hayes, Integrative Biology * Kristen Rasmussen, Nutrition and Toxicology * Philip B. Stark, Statistics Co-signatories: [1] Elizabeth Abel, English [2] Alice M. Agogino, Mechanical Engineering [3] Miguel Altieri, ESPM [4] Bruce Baldwin, Integrative Biology; Director, Jepson Herbarium [5] Melissa Barker, Staff Advisor, UC Berkeley Food Pantry; Associate Director of Student Engagement, California Alumni Association [6] Barbara A. Barnes, Gender and Women’s Studies [7] George Bentley, Integrative Biology [8] Eric Berlow, Berkeley Open Source Food; Mappr [9] Wendy Brown, Political Science [10] Ruben E. Caneda, UC Berkeley Food Security Committee Chair; UC Global Food Initiative, Food Access & Security Committee Co-Chair [11] Cathryn Carson, History [12] Ignacio Chapela, ESPM [13] Mel Y. Chen, Gender and Women's Studies [14] Sandrine Dudoit, Biostatistics and Statistics [15] Paul Fine, Integrative Biology; Curator of Neotropical Flora, University Herbarium --- [16] Mary K. Firestone, ESPM; Associate Dean of Instruction and Student Affairs [17] Louise Fortmann, ESPM [18] Anne-Lise François, English and Comparative Literature [19] Mark Goble, English [20] Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby, History of Art [21] Suzanne Guerlac, French [22] Lyn Hejinian, English [23] Frances Hellman, Physics; Dean, Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences [24] Mary Henderson, Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology [25] Leslea Hlusko, Integrative Biology; Curator, Museum of Paleontology [26] Alastair Iles, ESPM; Co-Director, Berkeley Food Institute; Associate Director, Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry [27] Nicholas P. Jewell, Biostatistics and Statistics [28] Michael Jordan, Statistics and EECS; Chair, Department of Statistics [29] Claire Kremen, ESPM; Co-Director, Berkeley Food Institute; Director, Center for Diversified Farming Systems [30] Shawn LaPean, Executive Director, Cal Dining [31] Gregory Levine, History of Art [32] Brent Mishler, Integrative Biology; Director of the University and Jepson Herbaria [33] Richard Norgaard, Energy and Resources [34] Michael Nylan, History [35] Kevin Padian, Integrative Biology; Curator, Museum of Paleontology --- [36] Joanna Picciotto, English [37] Michael Pollan, Journalism [38] David E. Presti, Molecular and Cell Biology; Chair, Academic Senate Undergraduate Council [39] Christine Rosen, Haas School of Business; Associate Director, Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry [40] Leslie Salzinger, Gender and Women’s Studies [41] Ellen L. Simms, Integrative Biology [42] Janet L. Sorensen, English [43] Chelsea Specht, Plant & Microbial Biology and Integrative Biology; Curator of Monocots, the University and Jepson Herbaria [44] Lori Ann Thrupp, Executive Director, Berkeley Food Institute [45] Leti Volpp, Law [46] Bin Yu, Statistics and EECS --- ## Eat your Weedies!