My Completely Free Grocery "Shopping" Trip- Foraging and Salvaging

I just had a conversation with my publisher about my cover photography for my book, and what we want on it, as well as the photography for within the book, and then I realized that I don't have the ingredients needed to make all these foraged items, and to get them, I'd have to go into the city to go to a park there to forage. So I did.

I was there with a ticking clock- I arrived only 2 hours before sunset, and wanted to make sure I got enough of what I needed in time to make it back to civilization (and electric lights) before it got dark.

I had a long walk, and then got to the park and came home with a giant bag of goodies! Usually when I forage, it is mainly greens, and greens don't tend to be so heavy, but what I foraged certainly was heavy enough to feel it!

I got wild fennel, umbilicus, wood sorrel, salsify leaves and roots...

Bitter almonds, mallow, including a giant root which I want to try using as an egg replacement, wild lettuce, and chasteberry/vitex seeds- also medicinal, and also with a mild peppery taste.

I especially came out looking to get something other than greens, ideally fruit, but while I was hopeful I had no idea if I'd get lucky or strike out. Fortunately I got a lot of fruit- over a pound each of hawthorn fruit and dog rose hips- so much more there, I just got bored of picking- and strawberry tree fruit. Not shown also was a bunch of sumac berry clusters.

After finishing to forage as much as I could before dark, I went over to the market to see what I could get, especially as it was so close to closing time there. I didn't want too much, since my bag was already heavy (no wagon, because I was foraging on a nature trail where wagons aren't a good idea- I just had a backpack). I got 6 fish heads and 4 fish frames, plus a bunch of crispy cucumbers that were broken, all for free, because they would have been thrown out otherwise. I just cooked the fish and will pick it off the bones as soon as it cools off, and will use it to make some dish or another- probably either thai fish curry or fish gumbo.



I love when I go "grocery shopping" and come home with a lot of food and pay absolutely nothing.

So far this month, 9 days in, and I've only spent $71 on groceries and my fridge and pantry are full. We'll see how low I can get my grocery budget this month.

Forage anything great lately? Got any free food or otherwise just great grocery deals lately? What was it?