The New York Times - Feel like a whimsical woodland hobbit

Alexis Nikole Nelson makes foraging feel approachable and wildly fun, sharing her love of edible nature with her millions of followers.
‌

Whether she’s collecting magnolia flowers around her hometown in Columbus, Ohio for cookies or gathering seaweed during her travels along the coast of California, her enthusiasm can make even the most indoorsy person want to venture outside and explore.
‌

She recently sat down with Wirecutter to share the things she takes on her walks—from the indispensable tools she carries to those brilliantly colored dresses she wears.

‌

Here are some of her must-haves:

• The Wazoo Gear Foraging Bandanet not only stores your findings, but can help ID them, too. “I like wearing it around the back of my neck for sun protection,” says Alexis. “But then if I find something, I can just take it off and throw something in it.”
• A Baggu bag, perfect for impromptu foraging. "These fold up into a tiny pouch that fits in my pocket, fanny pack, or purse and then, boom, I have an entire shopping bag if I happen across something I want to forage.”
• A trusty Nalgene water bottle, covered in stickers.
• A field guide to stay informed on what is—and isn’t—safe to eat.
• “A soil knife, or hori hori, wonderfully straddles the line between knife and shovel, because it has that little bit of curvature to the blade,” she says. We like the Nisaku Japanese Stainless Steel Weeding Knife, which comes with a synthetic-leather sheath for easy storage.

‌

A few of Alexis’ favorites→

Have fun, foragers. And if you’re staying indoors this weekend, yes, we’re on Threads. See you out there.

‌

You can reach the Wirecutter newsletters team at newsletters@wirecutter.com. We can’t always respond but we do love to hear from you.

Was this email kindly forwarded to you? Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.