Coastal foraging in winter Peter Langlands For me one of the most exciting aspects of heading down to the beach is gathering wild foods. Why? Firstly hunting out “Wildfoods” can be incidental to tramping. It makes sense to gather edible things that you come across. In many cases the food will be very healthy and organic, and you have the benefit of knowing where it come from. Other benefits include that the food is often more intense in taste than commercially available options and in some cases, especially pauas there aren’t many (if any!) commercially available options. Bountiful shellfish I love shoreline foraging with its wide diversity shellfish available. Interestingly during the Irish potato famine many people starved on the doorstep of rich shoreline food resources, a great tragedy, due in part upon reliance primarily on potatoes and an ignorance of shoreline foods. Shellfish are readily available and are best taken after periods of low rainfall, or a hundred metres or so away from any significant freshwater source (if it is running off agricultural land). Green shell mussels are a mainstay and grow to a good size. I like to snorkel for mussels, as often the mussels below the low tide mark are of larger size and better condition, than those in the inter- tidal. Blue mussels are smaller than green lips and grow higher up on the tide line and are as good, if slightly different in taste, as the better-known green shell mussel. Rock oysters, which proliferate round much of our coastline, are often overlooked. Several large rock oysters are equal to a Bluff oyster and in my opinion their taste is more intense. The rock oyster tends to be a more southern speceis with the Pacific oyster growing from the northern South Island and throughout the North Island, often on sheltered parts of the coast around mudflats or sheltered waterways (such as the Marlborough Sounds). On more exposed parts of the rocky coastlines pauas are the top prize or the shoreline forager. On remoter parts of our coastline legal sized pauas can be gathered at low tide, but often snorkelling gear is required to get legal sized pauas in many areas these days. Magic of wharves I love chilling out and fishing from wharves. The key to success here is to use small hooks. Large spotties and yellow-eyed mullet make great eating when fresh. I love eating whole fish, off the bone, after crisping them up and serving with a tomato and chilli pesto. Jack mackerel can be caught around many wharves in the northern parts of New Zealand and are delicious when hot-smoked. Potting Potting for paddlecrabs or “piecrust crabs” is a fun activity. A simple hoop pot baited with an oily fish such as a mackerel works very well. Wharves make good spots for potting for piecrust crabs (which have beautiful meat in their claws). If you have a kayak then placing pots in further from shore, over open sand, will allow you to catch paddle crabs. The other exciting part of hoop potting is the by-catch- anything from brittle stars to seahorses will turn up to fascinate the kids. Healthy seaweeds On the rocky shoreline don’t overlook the wide range of edible seaweeds that occur there. Seaweeds are incredibly healthy with high levels of trace elements. Bladder kelp is one of my favourites. The blades of the kelp, when dried slowly in the oven, turn from a brown to green colour. Once crispened by baking in olive oil, and with a little cracked pepper, they make delicious “seaweed flavoured potato chip”. Neptune’s necklace when likely blanched and added to a salad makes a point of interest. Karengo, dark bladed kelp growing high up on the inter-tidal, is often in its prime in late winter. When fried with a mix of olive oil and butter, along with some cracked pepper it is delicious. Karengo has grown significantly in popularity in recent years as a point of interest by many chefs, and is commercially harvested in areas such as Kaikoura. Undaria, the seaweed accidentally introduced from Japan, is also a prime food source when dried out. As people look to more healthy forms of food, interest in gathering seaweeds is growing. Coastal herbs The shoreline area is not only a rich source of shellfish and seaweeds but many types of herbs grow wild along the shore. Wild fennel is often very prolific in dry stony areas. The fennel makes a great herb for favouring seafood dishes, and can also be brewed to make a refreshing tea. The seedpods, from fennel, when ground down also make an intense flavouring. Italian parsley often grows prolifically along shoreline areas in the rank shrub just above the high tide mark. Winter is a good time to gather Italian parsley and having go at making homemade pesto with it. There is nothing to me more comforting than cooking freshly gathered wild foods and cooking them up over a beach fire. If local regulations prohibit the use of an open fire, then a gas cooker is a passable substitute. There is nothing like dining alfresco, even in winter, and looking out over a beautiful coastal view. Brewing up a strong espresso is often a good way to “sign-off” from a days’ shoreline foraging. So next time you head down to the beach take a bucket or two, a chilly bin, a gas cooker, a sharp knife, a hammer and chisel (for the Pacific and rock oysters), some snorkelling gear, a couple of fishing rods and have dinner. At the end of the day there is nothing like some fresh sea air to clear away the cobwebs of city living. By bringing some food back to the table you can also re-live the days events. Happy foraging.

Update for 2016

Thanks all for your interest in wild-foods and foraging. I will regularly update this blog in 2016. It is an exciting year for mapping out our wildfoods resources. In the meantime check out Meghan Walkers excellent article in the latest copy of NZ Wilderness magazine. Foraging should be a way of life in our land of plenty, but make sure that you return the favour and stand up for the environment upon which we are all dependent . Article in latest Wilderness by Meghan Walker. ‪#‎wildcaptureforage Cheers Peter

Wild foods along the Kaikoura Coast.

Peter Langlands The Kaikoura Coast with its temperate climate offers a range of wild plants that can be gathered from the roadside or on walks around the peninsula. Fennel is a common herb that thrives along Kaikoura’s coastal roads and the young shoots provide the best taste and can also be used in a salad. The distinctive yellow seeds can also be used as flavouring and especially compliment fish dishes very well. Another common coastal herbs the Italian parsley which likes to grow along the rocky coastline from Oaro up to Kaikoura. Italian parsley is very flavourful and like fennel is a great match with seafood. A native species, the native celery which looks very similar to the Italian parsley but grows further out on rock outcrops is a very tasty herb (but as this is a rare native species harvesting should be minimal). The most exotic plant is the banana passion fruit which occurs in vines from west of Oaro to Kaikoura Peninsula with the ripe fruit available in the autumn. On the drive up to Kaikoura there are also numerous wild apple trees on the roadside which offer an autumn harvest. Calendula flowers will add a little colour to your wild harvested salad. Wild spinach is also very common along the beaches, especially at South Bay, and again the fresh leaves provide the best eating. Make sure that you give any wild gathered plants a good wash and pick the fresh growth. Wild herbs will add a little bit of local flavour and many of the herbs occurring along Kaikoura Coastline compliment seafood dishes well. So with a little insight you can produce your own locally gathered salad. Certainly Kaikoura is a bountiful environment along the coastal strip.

Banks Peninsula Wildfood Guide 2015

Banks Peninsula Wildfood Guide - now available with updates for 2015 A 40 page guide outlining wildfoods that can be foraged on Banks Peninsula. Text, photographs and illustrations by Peter Langlands. Banks Peninsula represents a diverse foraging environment with a mix of woodland and shoreline foods that can be foraged. There is also a range of native and introduced species. This guide is primarily an identification guide to the species available with some outlines on habitats and locations for foraging also. Guide is sent out electronically in PDF format. To order email E:langlands@xtra.co.nz Peter Langlands. Available for $10

Canterbury Foraging Guides

Thanks to all who listened to Radio NZ today. I have the following three guides available for $20. To order please email me Peter Langlands E:langlands@xtra.co.nz Three guides covering wild-food and foraging options in the Canterbury Region. Guides sent out electronically in a PDF format- Guides are 1- Banks Peninsula Wild-foods Guide "A 20 page guide outlining wildfoods that can be foraged on Banks Peninsula. Text, photographs and illustrations by Peter Langlands. Banks Peninsula represents a diverse foraging environment with a mix of woodland and shoreline foods that can be foraged. There is also a range of native and introduced species. This guide is primarily an identification guide to the species available with some outlines on habitats and locations for foraging also. Guide is sent out electronically in PDF format. " 2- Guide to the edible mushrooms of Canterbury A ten page guide to the ten main, and easily identifiable, edible mushrooms found in Canterbury. Guide has photographs of each species and notes on where to find the mushrooms. Information on species' seasonality and basic preparation methods is also included. Guide written and photographed by forager Peter Langlands. Sent out electronically as a PDF file ( or by request as a Word file)" 3- Canterbury edible seaweed guide- "A 15 page guide to the edible seaweed species found in New Zealand's South Island. Written and photographed by Peter Langlands. A practical guide for the wild food forager with key information on the different types of seaweed, where and when to harvest, and key tips for seaweed preparation and recipes. Seaweeds are well known for their health benefits and flavour, to enhance meals and add a unique point of interest. This guide will set you up to make the most of our seaweed resource. Sent out in PDF format as a Ebook "

Regional Foraging Guides

Over the last two years I have completed a series of foraging guides and have just completed an Otago Foraging Guide which is available for $10. To order email - E:langlands@xtra.co.nz A forty page guide to wildfood and foraging options available in coastal Otago (covering the area from Oamaru down to the Catlins, with a focus on Otago Peninsula). Covers a wide range of fruits, herbs, native plants, seaweeds, fungi , molluscs, crustaceans, fish and small game. Species identification, habitats, seasons, harvest and preparation techniques are outlined. Guide written by outdoor writer and researcher Peter Langlands/ Wild Capture and updated for 2015. Guide sent out electronically as a PDF file

harvesting freshwater eels

Eeling- a nocturnal wild foods activity Peter Langlands With the exception of the Taupo region, eels are found throughout New Zealand. They inhibit just about any freshwater habitat, often living out of sight under over hanging banks by day. Eels, because of their abundance in inland locations, were, and still are an important food source for the Maori, and traditional harvests still occur at locations such as Lake Forsyth (Wairewa) where up to 600 eels are caught a night during autumn, seaward, migrations. Eels often have a thick layer of fat below their skin, and as they can be easily dried, where very which an important food for Maori journeys through areas where food was otherwise scare. Not only that but our freshwater eels are superb eating, and especially so when smoked. That thick layer of fat is full of flavour and is dramatically enhanced after being smoked over manuka wood. It is important with eels, prior to smoking, that they are left out in the fresh air, lightly salted, to dry out over a day or two, as otherwise the eels have a high moisture content and tend to be steamed, rather than smoked, if not left to air dry first. The fun aspect of eeling is that it is an activity that is readily available to everyone, and in most regions in New Zealand you are entitled to catch six eels per person per day. Eels can be caught by a variety of methods; the simplest is to place out a baited setline, which only costs a few cents to make. Basically use a baited hook tied onto monofilament line of at least 20 pounds breaking strain. Oily fish bait is best. Leave the bait to soak for 20 minutes or so before re-checking. Have the line firmly secured to a steak on the riverbank, or lake’s edge. Spearing can also be highly effective, as eels cruise river margins at night. Haul the eel onto dry ground, and as quickly as possible grab it behind its head with a towel, and severe the backbone, as a quick and humane way of killing the eel. It you find the prospect of preparing an eel for the smoker daunting, simply take the eel to a fish shop, or butcher. Many larger centers will have a shop that will commercially smoke, prepare, and vacuum pack your catch. The best eating eels are in the one to two kilogram ranges. I have a policy of releasing any eels over four kilograms, as these eels are likely to be very old, over 50 years (and up to 100!), and will also be prime breeding stock that will ensure the future of eeling in years to come. Hot smoked eels are absolutely delicious, and much of the current catch is exported to Europe (and Japan), so when locally available, which is rarely in my neck of the woods, in Christchurch, it often sells for $70 a kilogram! So the option of catching my own, from the nearest waterway with clean water, which is only ten minutes from home, is a good one. At the moment smoked freshwater eel from Thailand and China, is for sale in New Zealand, but doesn’t compare in quality to our freshwater eels. We can do better with the home grown product. Served either smoked on toast with avocado, tossed in a Greek salad, or braised in a teriyaki sauce, freshwater eel remains one of my favorite foods, and one in which I have the satisfaction of catching myself.