Tech And Startups For Foraging Enthusiasts

Foraging, or the hobby of collecting wild plants for food, has grown in popularity in recent years. As more people try and adopt sustainable diets and combat the high cost of food in supermarkets, it’s no surprise that foraging has become a hobby that many have explored.

What Is Foraging?

Foraging is the act of collecting wild food for free. Foragers regularly look for areas with uncultivated wild fruits, herbs and vegetables to collect and eat.

But the process isn’t just as simple as picking a few wild berries, foragers are highly skilled at identifying edible plants. Through education, they learn how to utilise different foods for different purposes and learn to identify plants that they should avoid earing.

What Are The Dangers Of Foraging?

Foraging can be dangerous, especially if people don’t know how to identify poisonous plants.

It can be an amazing way to spend time in nature and enjoy new foods, however, it’s important to make sure that foods are safe to eat.

Whilst there are some plants that are poisonous to humans and should be avoided, there are also certain areas that should be approached with caution. For example, areas that may have been sprayed with chemical pesticides, or those near dog parks, could be covered in harmful substances.

To help make the hobby safer and more accessible, many startups have emerged to help.

Let’s take a look at some.

Foraging Startups

PlantSnap – Plant Identification

PlantSnap is a plant identifier app, designed to help nature lovers understand the plants that they encounter.

Through uploading an image onto the app, users are able to figure out exactly what they are looking at. As there are many variations of berries, mushrooms and plants, it’s a great tool to double check that any plant consumed is safe.

Shroomify – Mushroom Identification

Eating a poisonous mushroom can be fatal, so apps like Shroomify are great ways to ensure a mushroom is safe.

Through selecting the characteristics of the mushroom, the app is able to generate the most likely matches. Then, users are able to identify what they are looking at, to ensure it’s 100% safe for human consumption.

Foraged – Online Marketplace

For many, foraging is a hobby, but for others it can be a business. Foraged is a community marketplace of foragers, farmers and food producers, who ship specialty ingredients country-wide.

The app is full of wild flowers and plants, helping people adopt more varied and sustainable diets.

Falling Fruit – Foraging Map

For those at the start of their foraging journey, knowing where to look can be difficult. Falling Fruit is a user-generated harvesting app, showing where edible plants grow for free.

The community of users is constantly updating the map, showing exactly where to find the most sought after produce. Users can filter by type of food and region, helping them more easily map their foraging fun.

Learn Your Land – Educational Course

Learn Your Land is an educational channel, dedicated to helping people connect with nature.

The site has a number of courses, including advice on finding certain native foods, how to identify common plants and exploring and protecting local ecosystems.

Through the power of education, Learn Your Land is helping more people forage safely and sustainably.

SuperCook – Recipe Generator

So you’ve been out foraging and you have your ingredients – how do you know what to do with them? SuperCook is a recipe generator that allows users to put in their ingredients and generate recipes.

Initially designed to reduce food waste at home, it’s also a great way for foraging lovers to decide what to do with their yield.