Learn to forage for food with forager Diego Bonetto at Botanic Garden, Mt Annan
If you’re looking for a few fresh ingredients to add to dinner each night you may not need to turn much further than the weeds in your own backyard.
If you are looking for a few fresh ingredients to add to dinner each night you may not need to turn much further than the weeds in your own backyard.
That is the message urban forager Diego Bonetto is hoping to teach people when he hosts the Wild Weeds — Foraging Feeds workshops at the Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan, showing people which weeds they can use to add some extra flavour to their dish.
But while some people may baulk at the sound of adding weeds to their diet, Mr Bonetto said it was a common ingredient in the not-too-distant past.
“Three generations ago your parents would teach you to forage; it’s a skill that has been lost in our culture,” he said.
“It’s not just Australia, it’s a skill that has been lost in many cultures.”
At his workshop, Mr Bonetto offers three tips to help people forage for food.
“Tool number one is simple: the best place to look is your own garden because it’s an environment you know,” he said.
“You know where pesticides have been sprayed and what other factors could make the plants inedible.
“The second is learn to positively identify what you are looking at so you know what it is you are eating. These aren’t survival skills I’m teaching, it’s about adding seasonal treats into your diet.
“The third is to be nice to nature: we’ve had enough people ruining the environment so we should make sure we’re not destroying our local environment.”
Mr Bonetto regularly cooks with foraged food and couldn’t pick a single favourite dish.
“We’re coming into the winter season so I would say my favourite at this time of year is the mushroom risotto,” he said.
“In the summer I like salsa verde … it’s a good time of the year for greens and also for berries.”
The workshops will be held on Saturday, March 23 from 4-6pm and Sunday, May 12 from 10am to noon.
For more information visit australianbotanicgarden.com.au.
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