Hi yall… since I live in the middle of a city I was wondering if the wild plants that can be foraged like purslane, bamboo shoots, etc. absorb toxins from cars etc. or do their roots filter out heavy metals etc.? It’s hard for me to determine where is safe to forage and what environment I should look for to gather my salad plants.
Just nibbled my first young greenbrier leaf today (Smilax bona-nox)… tasted… well leafy with a hint of sugary sweetness, which surprised me…
They absolutely do, so you should always take care foraging too close to roads. I think the rule I heard said not to forage any plants that grow within 100 feet of any road, but I’ve disobeyed that rule from time to time. So obviously you can get away with it, but I wouldn’t advise making a habit of it.
But, of course, plants often do a good job of restoring soil and cleaning out pollution, so your account that they tasted good doesn’t surprise me too much. I don’t know if that necessarily means that you could safely eat a lot of them, though.