Eat Wild Plants With Songwriter Sean Rowe

In the event of an apocalypse, you're going to wish you had a friend like Sean Rowe. He's the kind of man who could survive in the wilderness with nothing but a pocketknife. In fact he did once; he lived in the woods for more than three weeks, trapping and foraging all the food he needed to survive.

Even in his daily life, Rowe looks to nature to find food. Not for all of it, of course; foraging and trapping are quite laborious. And Rowe has other things to think about—namely the release of his latest album, The Salesman and The Shark. It's a haunting collection of songs with all the introspection you’d expect from a man capable of living weeks alone in the forest, and Rowe delivers it in a voice deep enough to rattle windowpanes.

Recently Rowe invited us along with him on a foraging mission, and the video here documents the music and food behind the singer.

Feeling inspired? If so, there are a few things to consider before you set out on your own survival mission.

Know where to find food
"Most people think you need a thick forest to forage," says Rowe. "But actually that can be very challenging." The reason: The forest is dense and hard to navigate, and at its center, it's not particularly diverse. "You're far better looking along the periphery between two ecosystems," he says. Where a wetland meets a prairie is a good place, or—more common in urban environments—where a wooded area meets a mowed field.

Study your plants
Trial and error is perfect for ironing out recipes in your kitchen, but in nature, it’s a different game. (Watch Into the Wild if you’re not convinced.) Start by learning a couple safe plants indigenous to your area, and every time you go out, try to recognize one or two new ones. To get you started, Rowe recommends The Forager’s Harvest, Stalking the Wild Asparagus, and Edible Wild Plants.

Remember the tricks of the kitchen
Just because you’re foraging doesn’t mean you have to eat like a primate. Take a couple hours to collect what you can, and then bring it back to the kitchen to prep. Lambsquarter is similar to spinach, so you might sauté it with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Wood sorrel looks about like clover but delivers a big punch of sweet citrus. Try tossing it with store-bought mixed greens for a more flavorful salad. And for a refreshing summer beverage, try the sumac tea below. Difficult as it is to find in stores, sumac is abundant in nature (just beware its poisonous copycat—sometimes its best to venture out with an experienced forager first to teach you identification), and, Rowe notes, the bright red clusters are loaded with vitamin C. Consider it your natural elixir.

Sumac Tea
Recipe from Sean Rowe

What you’ll need:
5 sumac clusters
1 gallon cold water
Maple syrup

How to make it:
Scrape the berries from the clusters and into the water. Press with your hands or the back of a spoon to bruise lightly. Let set for 1 to 4 hours and sweeten to taste with maple syrup. Yields approximately 10 12-oz servings.