Los Angeles is known more for its freeways than its forests, so it might not be the first place you think of when it comes to foraging for food.

But a growing number of Angelenos see the city’s wild plants, leaves and flowers as a food paradise. Jessica Lin is the founder of Beyond the Body, who leads foragers into the urban wilderness.

She took “LA Times Today” along in a workshop.

Lin explained that foraging is the act of picking or harvesting plants in an environment that is not designed for picking.

She talked about how foraging is a “playful” experience for her. 

“There’s more of an element of discovery, I guess, because when you go to a farm, everything’s labeled and it’s kind of more transactional. You pick this amount. This is the number of pounds you pay for, and you go home and you know what you got. But foraging is more like you’re doing the act of figuring out what is it? Is it edible? Being more experimental, with what you do with it,” Lin shared. 

Lin has been foraging for most of her life. Eventually, she decided to teach others about the food options Los Angeles has to offer. 

“The structure of the workshop is two hours at a time. And right now I’m trying two times a month,” Lin said. “I offer my workshops all around LA. I do it in Culver City, Redondo Beach, Silver Lake and Palos Verdes.”

Bringing diverse groups of people out to forage is important to Lin. She hosts foraging workshops for people who identify and queer or BIPOC and their allies.

“Other foraging workshops available in this area are mostly led by older white men who may or may not be queer. And oftentimes when I’ve seen the crowds or maybe attended myself, and they are very homogenous. And while I think that everyone can and should enjoy nature, no matter what your age, background, ethnicity or sexual orientation, there aren’t a lot of people of color or queer folks in these spaces. And so that’s the reason that I’ve created this offering,” she explained.

Mel Case, one of Lin’s attendees, said the inclusivity of Lin’s workshops is a welcome sight. 

“I’m seeing a lot more of these types of workshops that are very specific for the queer community, and I’m just so happy that they’re available to us because it brings queer community together and you get to know people. You don’t fall in love with people right away, but you get to know them as the as the course progresses. And you hopefully by the end leave with a couple new friends,” Case said.

You can find out more about Lin and Beyond the Body’s workshops through her Instagram page @JessBeyondtheBody.

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