The City Has Food to Share. Do You Know Where to Find It?

On a sunny day in late June, I found myself deep among the branches of a mulberry tree at Stuyvesant Cove, on the East River of Manhattan. I had spotted the tree in past summers—or at least I had spotted the purple splatters of fallen berries on the stone walk—and resolved that the next time the mulberries ripened, I’d stop by for a taste. As I circled the trunk picking low-hanging fruit, other folks stopped, whether for a berry or just to ask what I was doing.

While foraging is a basic part of human nature, it has mostly been superseded by other food sources in the built environment. Modern agriculture systems and supply chains put practically any food you want just a grocery store away, so who needs to know if that tree on the corner has something tasty to share? Still, there’s plenty of food growing in cities—berries, apples, citrus, leafy greens, and more, depending on where you live and the time of year. And despite some online tools and awareness efforts that aim to boost the popularity of urban foraging, your average eater has yet to go picking.