SubscribeWhat Does “Modern Forager” Mean? How Did I Come Up With That Name?
I’ve received a couple comments lately referring to how the content on the website doesn’t reflect actually going out and foraging for food. That much is true. So I thought I’d give a brief story of how I arrived at the name Modern Forager and what that name reflects.
When my site was originally hosted on Blogspot, I went through several names trying to come up with one that resonated with me. I eventually came across the current name, thinking about the meaning of the term “forager”: one who hunts and gathers food and provisions. When it comes down to it, a hunter-gatherer, or Paleo, diet is what I seek to mimic. However, I see that you don’t have to return to the wild to actually live a lifestyle in tune with your evolutionary roots. You can enjoy all of the accoutrements of the modern world (internet, cell phones, and cars, oh my!) while still mimicking the lifestyle of your ancestors as much as possible through your eating patterns and choices of activities. Though I didn’t really love the name, I decided to stick with it until something better came to me. But in that time, the site started getting links and subscribers and it wasn’t worth it to change it.
So no, this website is not about foraging for food. It’s about eating and living in a way that respects your foraging roots while thriving in a modern world that’s often diametrically opposed to such a lifestyle. It’s basically about nutrition and fitness, as anyone that subscribes to the site has figured out by now. If I could, I’d move the blog to my own domain, scottkustes.com, which when I started the blog was running my own personal website (no longer there). But doing so would mean that all of the links that other people have to the blog would be lost. And all of the Google/Yahoo rankings that I have would be lost. When it comes down to it, a name is just a name. The word “amazon” has nothing to do with shopping, yet everyone knows what Amazon.com is. Frankly, it’s just not worth it to switch the URL. So if one of the people complaining that my site isn’t about foraging for food wants to purchase the URL, contact me and then you can turn it into the type of site you think it should be. Until then, enjoy the health and fitness discussions.
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Filed in Other 11 Comments so far
Dave in Ohio on 07 May 2008 at 8:34 am #
I always thought the name “Modern Forager” apropos. Foraging through a modern supermarket to find wholesome, nutritious food is not an easy task for most (present readers excepted, of course.) The uneducated shopper faces a premature death just as surely as a paleolithic forager who chose the wrong plants or failed to secure a supply of meat in the winter. Dangers abound for both.
Adam on 07 May 2008 at 8:38 am #
Scott, I actually think the name captures quite well the message that you are trying to convey! Keep up the great work.
Scott Kustes on 07 May 2008 at 8:42 am #
Dave and Adam, you got it! This was really to the guy(s) that posted several comments like “When will you schmucks start talking about foraging? Go look it up in the dictionary.” And to anyone else that wondered how I arrived at the name.
Cheers
Scott
Anna on 07 May 2008 at 8:43 am #
I can’t believe someone would complain about your blog name, unless he/she was completely clueless. Right from the start of reading your blog, I thought the name was superb and it captured the essence of your blog perfectly. I’ve been reading your blog for quite a while now, and while I can’t remember exactly how I found it (perhaps a comment of yours on Dr. Mike’s Eades’ Protein Power blog?), I’m guessing the name is what captured my attention initially and drew me in.
Scott Kustes on 07 May 2008 at 11:01 am #
I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one that gets the name. But y’know, I’ve found that people will complain about pretty much anything. Oh well…can’t please everyone, nor would I want to try.
Cheers
Scott
DaveC - DaveGetsFit on 07 May 2008 at 12:56 pm #
A rose by any other name……probably still wouldn’t taste good in a salad!
The name resonated with me the first time I saw it–I think it’s great!!
Marc on 07 May 2008 at 3:51 pm #
Who cares about the name ( I always liked it anyway), it’s your content that counts.
And yours is one of the best out there!
Keep it up.
Marc
kateryna on 07 May 2008 at 6:31 pm #
Dr. Scott:
It never even crossed my mind that the name didn’t fit. It was a given that the Modern Forager meant exactly what you wanted it to. And it’s amazing how much foraging we all have to do to get “real” food nowadays and how many places we have visit/travel to to get it and how much effort it takes.
Jane on 09 May 2008 at 10:05 pm #
I dig the name, and yours is one of my favorite blogs. Chock full of common sense!
Bret on 23 Sep 2008 at 4:32 pm #
Scott and Others,
I also think the name is appropriate, considering that in order to find truly wholesome foods, one must spend a little time and effort. That said, I do feel there is real value in conducting a bit of real foraging as well - a sort of wild food “supplement,” if you will.
I have been interested in real foraging for a number of years now, and can say that at the very least it is a fun activity, and at the best it has provided a nutritional boost to my diet that has improved my health. It makes perfect sense to me to add foods to the diet that many consider nothing more than weeds, and if you despise weeds then what better revenge than to eat them!
I must of course caution anyone who chooses to walk the forager’s path to be very careful and positively identify any plants or fungi before consumption. Even edible forage may elicit adverse reactions, allergic or otherwise. Start very slowly and consume only small quantities at first, perhaps only a single leaf or otherwise small taste to begin with.
Having said that, let me start by listing the edible plants I have foraged from my own yard for years: dandelions (leaf, flower, root), garlic mustard (leaves & roots), wood sorrel, ground cherries, chickweed, and catnip. I have found black walnuts, stinging nettles, mint, wild onions, morel mushrooms, puffball mushrooms, sulfur shelf mushrooms, may apples, hawthorn berries, gooseberries, grapes, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples, and many more close to my neighborhood.
So why in the world would anyone want to forage when they can get everything they need from the store, you might ask? Several reasons. First, foraged food is picked and preferably consumed at its freshest. Forgive the lack of references, but I have learned that fruits and vegetables lose nutrients through oxidation fairly rapidly. Most produce in the store has been picked several days ago by the time it reaches its final destination in the stomach of the consumer. Secondly, wild foods are not likely to have been (advertently) treated with pesticides or herbicides, or to have been picked over and/or handled by numerous human hands. Third, wild foods are better than the equivalent of “heirloom” produce in that they probably have not been genetically engineered. And lastly, they are free for the taking!
Anyone interested in foraging should of course brush up on some resources before setting out. The late Euell Gibbons authored several interesting books, most notably “Stalking the Wild Asparagus” and “Stalking the Healthful Herbs.” They contain much good information, but are not good for identification purposes. “Wildman” Steve Brill is also another excellent resource - http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com. The USDA maintains a website containing a plant database with both edible and non-edible varieties: http://plants.usda.gov/. There are many other sites and books you could reference as well.
I have a few more tips from my own experience. You should select plants from areas you don’t believe have been subjected to pesticide/herbicide application (an overgrow area is a good sign that it hasn’t been applied). Always wash any foraged plants thoroughly before consumption to remove any debris, etc. Some plants can be slightly hazardous even if they are edible, particularly stinging nettle - if you touch it without gloves be prepared for pain about the equivalent of a bee sting (naturally this will NOT be eaten raw).
At any rate, I hope this will be of interest to some. Proceed with caution, but by all means proceed. At the very least any nature lovers should enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and exercise. Good health.
Lynn46 on 04 Nov 2008 at 7:15 pm #
Scott,
I will join all of the other commenters here and agree that “modern forager” is an inspired name for your site and is in tune with the goal and content of your site.
When I first saw your site name on another site, I immediately formed a mental image of what I imagined would be contained on your site. After reading a few topics and looking around the site, that initial mental image was, indeed, confirmed. So congrats on a catchy name that reflects the content of your site!!