I'm easily seduced by the promise of a ripe loquat. Around Melbourne, there is an absolute abundance of them. It's a lush tropical fruit; tasting like a super juicy pineapple-apricot-lemon. But even if slightly underripe, PWAaaH!, they're unpleasantly sour. You'll never find them at the supermarket, probably because of their short shelf life. But foraging is more fun than shopping anyway. Kids, go outside and get some sunshine! If you haven't noticed them before, you'll notic

Dandelions are so nostalgic. I have childhood memories of closing my eyes and whispering a wish before blowing a cloud of dandelion seeds spinning into the air. If I cleared the puffball in one breath, it was a sign my wish would be granted. During school recess, the flowers would be woven into crowns or gathered into a tiny posy. People consider them weeds, but why? Europeans brought dandelions intentionally to Australia in the early 1800s, not as a useless weed, but as a so

In Melbourne, olives are the street kids of forageable trees. Shout out to all the post-WWII Italian and Greek migrants who planted them...

Congratulations, you’ve just been served—by the little lawyers of the mushroom world. Clusters of Lawyer’s Wigs, Coprinus comatus,  love...