The Mill City Times Interview: Tim Clemens, Founder, Ironwood Foraging Co.
Monday, June 8, 2020 at 3:45AMArticle by Becky Fillinger
Foraging for wild plants and animals was the main way that people fed themselves up until about 10,000 years ago when cultivation of crops began in Southwest Asia. That’s a good 90% of human history where foraging was our main sustenance. Today, only about 250,000 people worldwide forage as their primary means of sustenance.
Have we forgotten how to forage? Not hardly. Meet Tim Clemens, Founder of Ironwood Foraging Co. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Tim started Ironwood Foraging in 2017 to offer hands-on foraging workshops in the Twin Cities. We talked about his outlook on safe foraging, conservation of rare plants and how to get started.
Q: Whether good or bad, foraging is happening - says Marla Emery, a research geographer at the U.S. Forest Service who has been studying urban foragers for the past decade. She discovered that about 20 percent of more than 1500 people surveyed in the Northeastern U.S. have foraged at least once in the last five years. Tim, is it your experience that around 20% of urban dwellers are foraging?
A: I don't know if 20% of urban dwellers are actively foraging as a practice, but I'm sure way more than 20% would be interested in it if given the chance. Many people forage as children, eating wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta) from their backyard, crabapples (Malus spp.) from the landscaping at the local playground, or raspberries (Rubus spp.) growing feral in the alleyways. They don't really understand what they're doing, but they're acting upon an ancient and fundamental human urge to identify and collect food from their landscape.
My first foraged eats were from gooseberry in a neighborhood yard when I was around 7 years old. I didn't know what a gooseberry was but something in my mind told me "edible" and it turned out to be a pleasantly tart experience. Of course, this could have been a catastrophe if I had eaten the fruit and seed of the Yew bush (Taxus canadensis), or the deadly toxic berry of lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis). That's why education and guided exposure are so important. As far as adults foraging, I think certain communities participate in foraging more either as part of their cultural heritage or everyday practice. Foraging is practically the national sport of Sweden. The Hmong community also has deep cultural traditions based in foraging for edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms.
Tim Clemens
Q: Where did you grow up? Who taught you to forage?
A: I grew up in South Minneapolis with Minnehaha Falls as my backyard. I'm mostly self-taught in foraging for plants and mushrooms - lots of miles hiked and many hours identifying plants and mushrooms with field guides and consulting with experts. My first intentional foraging was during Ojibwe Language and Culture classes at the University of Minnesota. I participated in iskigamiziganing (Sugarbush Camp) to tap maple trees for sap to make maple syrup. That experience charged a battery in me that I hadn't known was there and I've been pouring myself into the foraging life ever since.
Q: Have you seen an uptick in interest in foraging since the pandemic shutdown from people wanting to learn to be more self-sufficient? Or worry about the food supply chain?
A: I've definitely seen an uptick in interest since the pandemic began. I've had people tell me that they've always wanted to learn how to forage but never got around to it until now. Foraging is free, inherently socially distant, and provides flavors and aromas that you simply cannot experience unless you're a forager.
Q: I saw this passage in an article from 2018 - “There has been talk, with the impending closing of the Hiawatha Golf Course in Minneapolis, of establishing a food forest that can be used to forage for edible berries and plants.” Was a food forest established?
A: The food forest has not yet been established. I was involved in the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board's Hiawatha Golf Course Community Advisory Committee process as an appointed member of that committee and we decided upon a 9-hole course, but there is no language about the Hiawatha Food Forest. The HFF is still moving forward, though, and we do plan on there being a food forest there someday soon. There have been several fruit trees planted on the non-golf part of the property already.
Q: How does a person begin to forage here in Minneapolis - any tips or resources?
A: They should consult a local expert and ask that expert for field guide recommendations. They should also become aware of the foraging laws for wherever they intend to harvest. Minneapolis parks basically say the general public may harvest certain fruits or nuts from certain areas within the park system, as long as it's for non-commercial use. Regional park systems, state parks, and national parks all have their own rules and you should try your best to contact them before foraging. If they're learning on their own, the beginning forager should never eat something based off of one source and should always compare at least three sources to make sure there is a safe and common consensus before proceeding. Always be 100% sure of your identifications and repeat the motto "when in doubt, throw it out." If you have food allergies, make sure the wild foods you want to try are not a trigger for your allergy.
Q: What is your favorite local foraged food?
A: That's such a tough question. I feel like I have to quote Henry David Thoreau here, "Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth." I love being surrounded by seasonality. One of my favorite local foraged foods is an edible tree flower that tastes like a floral sweet pea and lasts for about six days. If you miss that short window then you have to wait until next year for them. I also love wild plums and wild cherries. Honestly, the list is too long. Each plant and mushroom is a unique expression of the language of the universe.
Q: Is there an app for foragers?
A: There are no foraging apps, and apps are highly discouraged when deciding to eat something. Apps like iNaturalist can definitely be fun and useful for identification, but never when the desired outcome is to consume anything.
Q: Are there plants that are edible but should be avoided because they accumulate heavy metals or other toxins?
A: Try your best to harvest from land you know hasn't been sprayed recently, don't harvest along train tracks, and do your best to know the history of the land you're foraging on.
Butternuts taste like mild walnuts with a slight butteryness.
Q: Are there any concerns for conservation of uncommon or rare plants that are edible but should not be harvested?
A: Two plants come to mind: the ramp (Allium tricoccum) and the butternut tree (Juglans cinerea).
Ramps are a slow growing plant with a sweet onion/garlic flavor that takes 5-7 successful years of growth to reach maturity. The specific plants you're harvesting could easily be 30+ years old. Sustainable harvest of ramps must be an intentional practice. Harvesting ramps on public land in Minnesota is illegal. If you're harvesting ramps on private land, do your best to only harvest one leaf per plant and never pull up an entire plant. Europe has vast ramp plantations that are hundreds of years old and the US should follow suit and establish ramp plantations, especially in areas where ramps have been extirpated from their natural range. Ramps are a species of Special Concern in Maine, Rhode Island, and Tennessee. They are endangered in New York. Do your part to make sure that even seven generations from now your descendants will be able to enjoy ramps too.
The butternut tree is a relative of the walnut. Butternuts are native to Minnesota and we may be the last generation of humans that get to enjoy this beautiful tree. Over 90% of all butternut trees in Minnesota have perished since the 1970's with the tree being listed as Special Concern in 1996 and Endangered in 2013. To this day we still do not know where butternut canker fungus came from, there is no cure, and it cannot be prevented. This walnut tastes like banana cream and deserves a statewide coalition of universities, state organizations, philanthropists, citizen scientists, and people like you working together to prevent this unique expression of the universe from existing solely in memory.
Wild Mushroom Identification is one of the workshops offered by Ironwood Foraging Co.
Q: Tell us about your business.
A: My business is called Ironwood Foraging Co. and was founded in 2017 to foster stewardship for our natural places and food security in our communities by teaching people to identify and safely harvest wild foods from fruit and nuts to mushrooms and herbs. Public classes, private tours, and work with organizations are all fundamental to the core of this mission. You can get in touch on Facebook at Ironwood Foraging Co. and on Instagram at @MNforager.
A: Currently, I take public groups to public lands in the metro area. Private tours can be in the form of a private land consultation or a smaller group size on public land. My roots are in urban foraging so I also teach within the urban residential neighborhoods of Minneapolis and St. Paul to highlight the food and medicine that is always around us.
Q: What is the optimum group size?
A: Due to COVID19 I've decreased my group size limits by 40% to 9 attendees per class to stay within recommended guidelines.
Q: Do you provide information on how to prepare the food that’s foraged?
A: Some wild foods can be eaten raw as you find them and others require cooking to make them edible. On a foraging walk I do my best to suggest safe, interesting, and delicious preparations for the new ingredients you're learning to identify and safely harvest. As far as recipes, I'll be the first to admit that my cooking skills are nowhere near my foraging skills, which means if I can do it, you certainly can. Making a wild-harvested tea or infused water with herbs or berries is one of the easiest ways to use what you find and they're delicious. A simple sauté of greens and mushrooms with some salt and black pepper is delicious. For home brewing aficionados, many wild edible fruits can be made into wine and several herbs can be used as the bittering agent in beer, like they were before hops were used. There's room to rediscover ancient traditions and craft trendy new recipes all at the same time.
Q: How may we hire you?
A: If you're interested in learning to forage you can sign up for public workshops on www.ironwoodforagingco.com or email ironwoodforagingco@gmail.com to set up a private land consultation or private foraging walk.
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About Becky Fillinger
I’ve been a resident of the Mill District only since July 2019, but have visited the Guthrie, the Farmers Market, restaurants and friends in the area for many years prior to making the leap to Minneapolis. I’ve lived in many places (and climates) in the US and can testify that our cultural events, bicycle and hiking trails, parks and green spaces, museums, diverse neighborhoods and wonderful restaurants put Minnesota and Minneapolis high on my best places list. I’m a member of the Mill City Singers and look forward to our choir practices and performances.
One of my main interests is community - a very broad concept. For me it means bringing people together with common interests to form meaningful relationships. I look forward to reporting on businesses and individuals in our neighborhoods. Feel free to drop me an email at becky_fillinger@hotmail.com with your thoughts and ideas for stories.
