The
Wild Foodies of Philly
In
search of the food beneath our feet!
We are always looking for more tour guides as we want to spread the word about
our wild and wonderful world and all its uses!
TOUR GUIDE TIPS:
-
Wild Foodies tours are "educational only" - no foraging, no tasting. If we
invite someone to taste a plant and they have a bad reaction, that could
disrupt the entire tour; plus, many parks don't allow foraging of any kind,
anyway. Sometimes
parks offer "weed" removal events, which is a great opportunity to forage.
-
If you want to
be a tour guide for Wild Foodies contact
LynnLandes@gmail.com. We do not
certify nor ensure/insure guides.
-
The best way to train to become a
guide is to go on lots of tours with different guides. See:
http://www.wildfoodies.org/FORAGERS.htm
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In addition to posting with the
Wild Foodies meetup, you can also form your own meetup and cross post on our
website. You can
also advertise your tour in print and with online social media platforms.
-
Limit the size
of your group. If a crowd gets too big, the experience is diminished. You can
open it to about 30 people if the tours are free, because often only
1/3 - 1/2 of those who sign up show up.
-
Post your meetup 2-4 weeks in
advance. Make your tour posting description interesting with a good photo. The
best, if not the only, way to post a photo for your tour is to download the
Meetup app, take a photo of the tour site (or take a photo of a photo of the
tour site) and put it in that way.
-
In the
description of every posted tour please encourage attendees to review our
website at
www.WildFoodies.org
and read the COMMENTS AND CAUTIONS on the following webpage -
http://www.wildfoodies.org/Basics.htm.
-
Keep your tours
to about 2 hours and plot an interesting walk. A circular route that includes
a water feature is a great idea.
-
Make your tour
a collaborative experience. Invite everyone to make comments and ask questions
as you do the tour. Tour guides can learn a lot from their students. That
said, politely ask attendees not to speak while you're talking to the group.
-
Introduce
yourself and emphasize that you are an enthusiast, not an expert. No one
knows everything about wild edibles. Even the experts sometimes disagree and
can be wrong. Remind attendees that they are responsible to double-check all
the information they get from you, which can be done at
www.WildFoodies.org, and keep an open
mind.
-
Here are some
things that you can tell your tour members about the plants: 1) parts of the
plant are edible, 2) raw or cooked, 3) time of year to harvest, 4) any
medicinal or nutritional info, 5) other uses, 6) and interesting anecdotes.
Avoid talking too much about the detailed structure of the plant. There tours
are mostly about plant uses, not plant parts. You want to your plant description to be
informative, interesting, brief, and fun.
-
Try to keep the
conversation positive and enjoyable. People are out to learn and have fun, not
solve the world's problems. Regarding wild plants, every plant has a purpose
and there's no such thing as a "weed". We don't denigrate any wild plant,
particularly non-natives. If people want to discuss the issue of invasive
plants, you can refer them to our webpage on that subject - Invasive Species
or Evolving Ecosystem -http://www.wildfoodies.org/EvolvingEcosystems.htm
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For adult
tours, discourage distractions such as dogs and children, who often have a brief
attention span.
-
So, get out
there and teach, learn, and have fun!
Forage on! With
care!
Lynn Landes,
Founder
LynnLandes@gmail.com
Tour Guide Introduction
SAMPLE
INTRODUCTION:
Hi
everyone, welcome to the Wild Foodies of Philly. My name is __________. Today
we’ll be getting to know several different types of wild plants and their uses.
Before we get started let’s do introductions and where you’re from, then I’ll
make some comments and go over some cautions:
-
Wild Foodies tours are educational only.
If we invite someone to taste a plant and they have a bad reaction that could
disrupt the entire tour. Most public parks do not
allow foraging unless its berries, and sometimes not even then. That said,
some parks host “Weed Warrior” days which is often an opportunity to forage,
depending on the targeted plants.
-
KNOW AND GO SLOW…which
means positively identify a plant before you eat it. For plants that you’ve
never eaten before, try a nibble and wait a day before you try more…just to
make sure that you’re not sensitive to it.
-
I'm a foraging enthusiast, not an expert.
-
Do NOT trust
anyone regarding plant information, including me, instead always verify plant
information by doing your own research which we’ve made easy on our website.
-
Get a Plant Identification App for your cell phone.
Many Apps are very helpful, but not 100% reliable. I recommend PictureThis.
-
We use common names to id plants,
in general, because they are easier to pronounce and remember, but sometimes
the Latin name is also helpful.
-
In reference to poisonous plants,
we have a webpage for that topic. However, most poisonous plants have
medicinal uses, and some even have edible plant parts.
http://www.wildfoodies.org/PoisonousPlants.htm
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Regarding contaminated sites: stay away
from roadsides, railroad tracks, industrial areas, abandoned lots, etc.. Some
parks do spray, so be aware of that. In general, try to pick areas where lots
of wild plants grow.
-
We welcome your comments and questions, however, please refrain from speaking
while I am
and try not to lag behind. We want to cover as many plants as possible.
-
Lastly, just because I hand you something doesn’t mean that you pop it in your
mouth.
Instead, please touch and feel, rip and roll, or scratch and sniff it so that
you can really smell a fragrance, if it has one.
That said,
let’s take a walk and learn about our Wonderful Wild World!