Urban Foraging and Ecology

2 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This 1 credit course is meant to introduce you to the useful and satisfying practice of urban foraging. You’ll learn to identify and describe a range of edible, useful, and poisonous plants, and along the way will delve into relevant topics in botany and plant ecology. The course sub-title – “from pawpaws to persimmons” -- describes the progression of fall fruit ripening in DC. The pawpaw fruits that have been ripening in my garden all summer usually start dropping the first week of class, right on schedule, and we’ll be collecting ripe persimmons from local trees in November. We’ll see our harvest shift over the course of the semester, from greens and late summer fruits in August to seeds, roots, and fall fruits in November. We’ll also forage for a few non-food items that we can turn into useful products: dogbane fibers for twine, bayberry fruits for wax, milkweed seeds for pillow stuffing, and walnut husks for dye and ink. In addition to these practical outcomes, I’m hoping that the course will also provide you with a sense of place and a different way to experience the passage of the seasons, an appreciation for the diversity, beauty, and utility of plants, and an excuse to spend a pleasant couple of hours each week exploring the outdoors.