OPPORTUNITIES FOR Farming Edible Forest Crops

摘要

There are a surprising number of forest-grown products that we consume. They include fiddlehead ferns, mushrooms, honey, maple syrup, and the fruits, leaves and/or roots of many herbaceous plants. Forests in North America have been farmed for edible and culinary products for decades. Demand for these products is consistent and in some cases increasing. Forest-farmed food products such as ramps and shiitake mushrooms have been highlighted on cooking shows and in gourmet magazines. Online sales of these and other forest-based edibles are increasing, while conventional and direct-to-consumer sales remain steady. For example, an internet search for "wild foods" renders hundreds of websites dedicated to growing and selling forest-farmed food.