I Tried Collecting Food and Everything Went Well I Guess
Renowned chef / forest sprite Rene Redzepi has released an app called VILD MAD to help you find “delicious snacks” using your phone. As someone who loves good food (and looks at his phone), VILD MAD seemed like an app that could definitely improve my quality of life, so I downloaded it to the specified phone and headed into the wilds of Southeast Portland.
As with almost any application, there were things that I liked and that I didn’t like. Let’s start with the good.
Good
- VILD MAD is cute and easy to navigate: the main color is a very pleasant turquoise that seems soothing and fresh and is also the dominant color in my apartment. Forage plants are listed both alphabetically and by month, making it easy to find either a specific part of the plant or just browse the season.
- VILD MAD is informative: for each ingredient, at least three photographs are provided (including close-ups of the plant itself and pictures of the area where you can find it), as well as information on where to find it, when to find it, how to find it, select it, how to prepare it what it tastes like, any substitutes, and a nice little note that says “risk of error” that warns you of any similar-looking plants that could poison you.
- VILD MAD is fun to talk about, especially in capital letters .
(Kind of) bad
This is not a download and run deal. While there is a lot of information to help you identify and collect edible plants that may be lurking in your area, you should familiarize yourself with it before you go outside. It is impossible to identify a plant simply visually; you must know its name before you can find a photo of what it looks like. It would be very helpful if the app contained a function like Pl @ ntNet , which is essentially a “Shazam for Plants,” and helps you identify potential food in the wild based on a photograph you take yourself.
There is also the fact that VILD MAD is specific to Denmark only, so delicious dishes from your regions may not even be in the app. While I was able to find a few of the plants featured in VILD MAD, I found even more edible plants that were not there.
What i found
While wandering around my neighborhood – which is known to have a public garden corner with all kinds of edible plants – I was able to find four harvested treats listed in VILD MAD: raspberries, blackberries (which weren’t fully ripe yet). ), dandelion and clover. I took photos and uploaded them to the app, which awarded me the BEGINNER badge and congratulated me on this nature walk.
I also found lemon balm, some very beautiful grapes, unripe plums and rosemary, none of which were listed in VILD MAD. I don’t really mind Redzepi as he clearly intended to use the app in Denmark, which makes sense because he is Danish.
However, it seems that the information provided about each plant is accurate. When I found a clover, very beautiful and purple (pictured above), I was so excited that I immediately plucked a few petals from the flower and put them in my mouth. I have a strange tongue, I thought to myself five minutes later and began to worry that the clover was contaminated with some kind of pesticide. I then consulted with VILD MAD to see if clover might be causing my fuzzy tongue sensation and was happy to find that my experience matched that of the application.
So, while the app is full of useful information about foraging for many of the tasty plant parts, it is as useful as it is in Denmark, where you live. (There are some pretty sweet recipes in it, though, and Redzepi-approved recipes are always welcome.)