Feral Forager is a wild 30-page zine coming out of the outskirts of the not-so-wild, hippie mecca of Asheville in the heart of the Southern Appalachian mountains in North Carolina.
It contains all sorts of very practical and easy to follow methods of gathering and eating wild foods. After a nice intro to scavenging and foraging ethics and a nod to anarchy, the zine dives into what will probably remain the most controversial section —Scavenging Roadkill! This section explores the authors’ philosophies and entry into the world of roadkill feasting and then gets into the nitty gritty details of skinning, cleaning, cooking and then using the leftovers. Included are great original and lifted illustrations.
There is also a wonderful page on “Entomophagy—the study of insects as food, and a growing movement among primitive skills and bug enthusiasts” with a reference to a website to find out more: www.food-insects.com.
The bulk of the zine is dedicated to Wild Plant Foraging with attention paid to season and description of many delicious and nutritious wild green plants and nuts. Wild Mushrooms are also detailed. Overall, the ‘zine contains comprehensive information on feral foraging and cites many books and authors on the subject. It is an excellent introduction and I hope that the zine is reproduced widely and wildly!
The next issue will be looking at primitive shelter, spring greens, cooking methods and more. The Feral Forage’s and Roadkill Vegans are looking for contributions of articles, illustrations, ideas, questions, and money. For a copy send 3 bucks c/o P.O. Box 1485 Asheville, NC 28802 or wildrootsnc@ziplip.com.