Last week I was in Brussels, where a TV-team was following us as we foraged for wild city edibles. I participate in a project called 'How To Survive In A City', that focuses on wild edible plants in an urban environment.
While we were being filmed, we overheard someone say "Why are you filming here? In Brussels? But there are no plants here!". We hear this a lot. But in fact, weeds aren't so picky about their growing conditions. They grow in lawns, between the pavement stones, in gutters, on the roof,... well, pretty much everywhere! And though they are not all edible (some plant species simply aren't suitable to ingest; others are just too polluted), some of them may just very well be. Let me put it this way: if you live in a city and have a balcony with raspberries or cherry tomatoes, would you eat them?
One thing in particular is interesting in cities: they have their own microclimate. Usually it's a few degrees warmer in the city than it is in the countyside and harsh winds are broken by tall buidings. This is why it is possible to harvest kiwifruits in the streets of Brussels, and fig trees grow there spontanuously.
We love how people's perception changes as we show them around the city jungle. So today I decided to go out and do a photo shoot to show the wild city edibles (some pics are taken at my own front door, all of them are on less than two minutes walking distance). Recognize any of them?
While we were being filmed, we overheard someone say "Why are you filming here? In Brussels? But there are no plants here!". We hear this a lot. But in fact, weeds aren't so picky about their growing conditions. They grow in lawns, between the pavement stones, in gutters, on the roof,... well, pretty much everywhere! And though they are not all edible (some plant species simply aren't suitable to ingest; others are just too polluted), some of them may just very well be. Let me put it this way: if you live in a city and have a balcony with raspberries or cherry tomatoes, would you eat them?
One thing in particular is interesting in cities: they have their own microclimate. Usually it's a few degrees warmer in the city than it is in the countyside and harsh winds are broken by tall buidings. This is why it is possible to harvest kiwifruits in the streets of Brussels, and fig trees grow there spontanuously.
We love how people's perception changes as we show them around the city jungle. So today I decided to go out and do a photo shoot to show the wild city edibles (some pics are taken at my own front door, all of them are on less than two minutes walking distance). Recognize any of them?
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