Foraging Wild Edibles

Safe identification and harvesting of common wild edible plants. Use when someone wants to supplement food supply with wild plants, learn plant identification skills, or understand what's safe vs dangerous in their local environment.

# Foraging & Wild Edibles

The one rule: if you are not 100% certain of the identification, do not eat it. Not 90%. Not "pretty sure." One hundred percent. That rule kept humans alive for 200,000 years and it still works. With that rule firmly in place, foraging is a practical skill that connects you to your local food system, supplements your groceries, and teaches you to see your environment in a completely different way. This skill covers 15 near-universal wild edibles, the deadly plants to avoid, and how to learn safely in your specific region.

```agent-adaptation
# Localization note — CRITICAL for this skill
- Edible plants vary dramatically by region, climate zone, and hemisphere.
  The 15 plants listed here are chosen for near-global distribution in
  temperate zones. Agent MUST:
  1. Identify the user's climate zone (USDA hardiness zone or Koppen
     climate classification)
  2. Confirm which of the 15 listed plants are present in their region
  3. Substitute region-appropriate alternatives for any that aren't
  4. Add region-specific deadly lookalikes
- Foraging legality varies:
  US: legal on private land with permission, varies on public land
    (National Parks = illegal, National Forests = generally legal
    for personal use, state/city parks = varies by municipality)
  UK: "right to roam" covers foraging for personal use on most land
  AU: varies by state — illegal in many national parks
  EU: varies widely by country (liberal in Scandinavia, restricted
    in some Mediterranean countries)
- Mushroom identification is EXTREMELY region-specific and dangerous
  to learn from text. Always direct to in-person local experts.
- Seasonal availability differs by hemisphere — flip all season
  references for Southern Hemisphere users
```

## Sources & Verification

- **USDA Plants Database** -- plant identification, range maps, and classification. https://plants.usda.gov
- **Samuel Thayer, "The Forager's Harvest" and "Nature's Garden"** -- widely regarded as the most reliable North American foraging references
- **Peterson Field Guides (edible wild plants)** -- standard field identification references
- **State extension office resources** -- local plant identification and foraging guidance. Search "[state] extension office wild plants."
- **Anthropic, "Labor market impacts of AI"** -- March 2026 research showing this occupation/skill area has near-zero AI exposure. https://www.anthropic.com/research/labor-market-impacts

## When to Use

- User wants to learn what's edible growing near them
- User found a plant and wants to know if it's safe to eat
- User wants to start foraging and needs a safe starting point
- User wants to understand which wild plants to avoid
- User is in a wilderness situation and needs to identify food sources
- User wants to supplement their diet with wild foods
- User is interested in connecting with local food systems

## Instructions

### Step 1: Learn the ground rules

**Agent action**: Before identifying any plant, establish these non-negotiable principles. Skip this at your own risk.

```
FORAGING GROUND RULES:

RULE #1: 100% CERTAIN OR DON'T EAT IT.
No exceptions. No "pretty sure." No "it looks like the picture."
100% positive identification or you walk away. The consequences
of getting this wrong range from vomiting to organ failure to death.

RULE #2: USE MULTIPLE IDENTIFICATION FEATURES.
Never identify a plant by a single characteristic. Use at least
3-4 features: leaf shape, leaf arrangement, stem shape, flower
color and structure, smell, habitat, season.

RULE #3: KNOW THE DANGEROUS LOOKALIKES FIRST.
For every edible plant, know what it can be confused with. Learn
the dangerous plants BEFORE learning the edible ones.

RULE #4: START WITH THE EASY ONES.
The 15 plants in this skill were chosen because they're common,
easy to identify, and have no deadly lookalikes (or the lookalikes
are obvious to distinguish). Start here. Stay here until confident.

RULE #5: LEARN FROM A LOCAL EXPERT.
Books and apps get you started. A local foraging walk with an
experienced guide teaches you more in 2 hours than a year of
reading. Find one through: mycological societies, native plant
societies, extension offices, community colleges, local foraging
groups on Facebook/Meetup.

RULE #6: SUSTAINABLE HARVESTING.
- Never take more than 1/3 of a stand of any plant
- Don't harvest rare or protected species
- Don't forage in polluted areas (roadsides, treated lawns,
  industrial runoff zones)
- Don't forage from someone's property without permission
- Check local regulations before foraging on public land
```

### Step 2: The 15 near-universal safe edibles

**Agent action**: Ask the user's location/climate zone first. Confirm which of these are present in their region before proceeding. All 15 are found across most temperate zones in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia/Oceania.

```
15 SAFE, COMMON WILD EDIBLES:

1. DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale)
   WHERE: everywhere. Lawns, fields, roadsides, cracks in pavement.
   PARTS: entire plant is edible — leaves (salad), flowers (fritters,
     wine), roots (roasted as coffee substitute)
   SEASON: spring for tender leaves, flowers in spring-summer
   ID: rosette of deeply toothed leaves, single hollow stem per
     flower, yellow flower, milky white sap
   LOOKALIKES: cat's ear (Hypochaeris) — also edible, so no risk

2. COMMON PLANTAIN (Plantago major)
   WHERE: lawns, paths, disturbed soil. One of the most common
     "weeds" worldwide.
   PARTS: young leaves (salad or cooked), seeds
   SEASON: spring-fall
   ID: broad oval leaves with parallel veins, grows in a rosette,
     tall flower spike with tiny flowers
   NOTE: not related to the banana-family plantain

3. WHITE CLOVER (Trifolium repens)
   WHERE: lawns, fields, everywhere grass grows
   PARTS: flowers (raw or dried for tea), young leaves
   SEASON: spring-fall
   ID: three round leaflets with white chevron marking, white
     spherical flower heads
   NOTE: red clover (Trifolium pratense) is also edible

4. CHICKWEED (Stellaria media)
   WHERE: gardens, lawns, disturbed soil, shady spots
   PARTS: entire above-ground plant (salad, sandwich green)
   SEASON: early spring and late fall (prefers cool weather)
   ID: small oval leaves in opposite pairs, tiny white flowers with
     deeply split petals (look like 10 petals but actually 5 split),
     single line of hairs along the stem (alternating sides)
   TASTE: mild, like lettuce

5. LAMB'S QUARTERS (Chenopodium album)
   WHERE: gardens, disturbed soil, agricultural edges
   PARTS: young leaves and tips (cooked like spinach — one of the
     most nutritious wild greens)
   SEASON: spring-summer
   ID: diamond-shaped leaves with irregular teeth, white powdery
     coating on young leaves, grooved stem
   NUTRITION: more iron, calcium, and protein than spinach

6. WOOD SORREL (Oxalis species)
   WHERE: forests, gardens, shady areas
   PARTS: leaves, flowers, seed pods (all raw — tart lemon flavor)
   SEASON: spring-fall
   ID: three heart-shaped leaflets that fold along the center crease,
     small 5-petaled flowers (yellow, white, or pink depending on species)
   NOTE: not related to sorrel (Rumex) — different plant family entirely
   CAUTION: high in oxalic acid. Eat in moderation (small amounts fine;
     don't make it your entire diet)

7. BLACKBERRIES / RASPBERRIES (Rubus species)
   WHERE: forest edges, roadsides, disturbed areas, hedgerows
   PARTS: berries (raw, jams, pies), young leaves (tea)
   SEASON: summer-early fall
   ID: thorny canes, compound leaves in groups of 3-5, white flowers,
     aggregate berries. Blackberries = fruit doesn't separate from core.
     Raspberries = fruit is hollow (separates from core).
   NOTE: there are no deadly berry lookalikes in this genus

8. ELDERBERRIES (Sambucus nigra / S. canadensis)
   WHERE: forest edges, stream banks, roadsides
   PARTS: berries (COOKED ONLY — raw are mildly toxic), flowers
     (fritters, cordial, te