Taking a walk on the wild side has never been more delicious thanks to Roushanna Gray, creator of Veld and Sea foraging and cooking adventures, and Cape Town’s own wild food whisperer.
The seaweed you see bobbing on the ocean? An umami bomb in paella. The num num berries hanging on suburban hedges? The stuff of dreams in a moist carrot cake. After a guided forage with this pro, you’re guaranteed to see – and taste – your surrounds in a whole new way.
Foraging wild edibles with Veld and Sea
Foraging is super trendy at the moment, but contrary to what you may have heard, it’s not quite as simple as heading into the field or forest with a Swiss army knife and hacking and slashing willy-nilly.
You need to tread carefully – and know your stuff – and that’s where Roushanna Gray of Veld and Sea comes in. Working at a nursery specialising in indigenous plants, and having spent the past nine years experimenting with the flavours of Cape Town’s indigenous edibles, has made Roushanna about as good a guide as you’ll get for taking a walk on the wild side.
Because foraging is very much dependent on the elements (anything from strong South-Easterly winds and red tide to rains can put a dampener on events), no two foraging excursions – and subsequent feasts – are the same.
After a bout of rain, for example, you might go hunting for pine rings in a forest and transform your loot into the most delicious mushrooms on toast ever.
On a sunny, wind-free day, you could go picking mussels off the rocks and harvesting edible seaweed to whip up into a seriously delicious paella. Or you might head into the veld to pick fynbos for tea. It’s the best kind of lucky draw there is, really.
One constant in these Veld and Sea experiences, however, is that you’ll end up seeing your surrounds in a totally different way.
Roushanna will impart her vast knowledge about whatever ends up in your basket – and how to reap nature’s bounty with the utmost respect – before transforming your foraged goodies into an unforgettable three-course meal, washed down with a craft beer or fynbos cocktail for good measure.
Whether said feast is enjoyed at a picnic spot under the trees, a campfire by the beach, a rocky outcrop or right in her nursery is, of course, bound to be a delicious surprise.
Highlights
- Delicious three to four-course lunch
- Discover the exciting world of wild flowers
- Basic introduction of wild edibles
- Learn the rules of sustainable foraging
- Includes information sheets and recipes on the wild foods prepared
What’s included with your Veld and Sea adventure
- Wild food snacks and drinks
- 3 course lunch based on ingredients foraged
- Information sheets and recipes
Photography: Sasha Specker, Gabrielle Holmes, Beverly Klein, Werner Debility, Inge Prins, Christopher List, Juliette de Combes.
