How to Find Free Food in Sydney

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Posted 2011-09-28 by glenop ⇒ follow

The vast majority of Sydneysiders buy their fruit and vegetables from their local farmers market, green grocer or one of the big supermarkets without giving much thought to its origins or thinking of an alternative method of sourcing their fresh produce.

One thing Sydnesiders don't seem to be keen on is foraging for their food. In fact, I detect a built in fear of 'urban' foraging. Almost every time I mention it to people, they frown in horror and ask something like "how do you know it's not poisonous"?

Quite clearly, we as a people have by and large lost the knowledge of foraging for food which our ancestors once possessed.

But a big city like Sydney provides many opportunities for the urban forager to harvest an amazing array of seasonal fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be wasted. Apart from the benefit of being seasonal, fresh and local, it's also free.

It was only last year that the world's number one chef, Rene Redzepi was here in Sydney extolling the virtues of foraging for fresh local fruit and vegetables. This is the philosophy of his Danish restaurant Noma, voted the number one restaurant in the world for the past two years. Sydney's food lovers may have been impressed by Rene foraging for berries in Copenhagen but here in Sydney?

Naturalist, urban forager and weed eater Diego Bonetto runs tours in and around Sydney. His Weedyconnection project aims to help people rediscover the traditional knowledge of foraging. "To some plantain, dandelion, chickweed and sow thistle are a nuisance, to others they are a delicious salad, a seasonal treat!"

Apart from weeds, Sydney's creeks, beaches and parks provide a surprising range of produce. Blackberries, mulberries, lilly pillys, warrigal greens, watercress, wild fennel, wild asparagus, persalane, rosemary and wattle seeds should all be on the urban forager's menu.

Warrigal greens, Australia's very own native spinach, is often found growing along many of Sydney foreshores and rivers. Native persalane is also found everywhere and like warrigal greens, probably overlooked as a weed. Wild fennel is seen growing along creeks, roads and railway tracks. Blackberries are found in many locations, especially nearby large suburban reserves and bike paths and who doesn't know of some old neglected Mulberry tree? Then there are the many surprises that you may find in your own suburb such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, figs, grapes and a range of other fruit hanging over back yard fences or in deserted properties.

It is impossible to name every location where urban food can be found but suffice to say, people have tried. Foraging and edible weed identification resources on the web include:

Little Eco Footprints
Weedy Connections
Scrumpers Delight

Sydneysiders shouldn't turn up their noses at urban food, but we should be careful about what we take. Apart from the free seasonal produce, you'll get some fresh air, exercise and discover parts of the city you might not have otherwise frequented.