Alexis Nikole Nelson (Photo by JB Douglas)
On any given day, Alexis Nikole Nelson can be found reimagining the potential of common plants, flowers and fungi. The Ohio-born, James Beard Award-winning writer weaves humor and education into a captivating social media presence as the Black Forager, showcasing unique recipes and techniques, including using ocean water to pickle beets and hummingbird flowers to make lemonade. With a singular whimsy, Nelson shows that often-overlooked ingredients are worth noticing — and eating. We caught up with her ahead of the release of her debut cookbook, “Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!” to discuss fall foraging in Virginia, staying curious and more.
Richmond magazine: How did your connection to foraging begin?
Alexis Nikole Nelson: I’ve been foraging since I was a little kid. My mom would identify edible weeds in our lawn and send me on little quests to gather them — those are my earliest memories. As I grew up, spending time with her meant spending time in the garden. It started with her teaching me one-off things, but soon she was quizzing me, and I devoured every book on every species. I’ve always loved plants; they have been the through line of my whole life. Some brains visualize music; mine understands plants. It’s a space where I easily make connections and recognize patterns. Don’t ask me to file my taxes efficiently or answer my phone on time, but I can name every plant I saw on a hike 17 years ago.
RM: Your videos are incredibly funny and genuine. Does that enhance the educational side of your content?
Nelson: Oh, absolutely. One of my favorite high school teachers played silly math songs she wrote on her electric keyboard. Her personality made things click for me, and it proved that bringing humor into education makes concepts stick. It’s why I still know calculus equations off the top of my head; sometimes, you have to be a little goofy, even in serious subjects. I love when people who watch my content tell me they’ve not only learned about specific plant species but have also picked up on cultural history, significance and other scientific concepts.
Nelson’s cookbook, “Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!,” was released in September. (Image courtesy Simon & Schuster)
RM: “Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!” is your first cookbook. What sparked its creation, and what was it like translating your work into book form?
Nelson: About a year into seriously making my foraging videos ... people were telling me they were having trouble finding the recipes from old videos. The process was really fun, but it was really complicated. I come from families where plant knowledge is oral history — passed down verbally and tactilely in real-time, three-dimensional spaces. Taking that learning style and translating it into the written word took a lot of corralling myself. The absolute hardest thing about writing a foraging cookbook, though, is the recipe testing. Some wild ingredients only have a very short seasonal window, so if you miss it, you’re out of luck until next year.
RM: Is there one recipe from the cookbook that people should absolutely try?
Nelson: Magnolia snap cookies. I’m not usually one to toot my own horn, but I love that recipe. It’s the one that I see my followers make the most often.
RM: If someone is foraging in Virginia this fall, what should they look for?
Nelson: Maypop passion flowers and passion fruit, Passiflora incarnata. You live in an area where you actually can get a good fruit yield from them. I like whispering sweet nothings to them, so they’ll ripen before our first frost. They’re wonderful. Their greens are edible, and the flowers are frequently used medicinally and in Sleepytime-style tea, and the fruit is lovely. Also, hen of the woods, a wild edible mushroom.
RM: What are some tips for people hoping to get into foraging?
Nelson: Of course, the low-hanging fruit or mantra is “Happy snacking, don’t die.” You want to have fun and have snacks, but also, you have to remember to be safe because we love being alive, love living. Even if you’re just foraging field garlic from your front yard, you’re a forager. Start slow. Go at your own pace. Follow your curiosity. As adults, our curiosity really gets tamped down. Let yourself be curious about things, let yourself notice things that you normally would have sped by. That alone, I think, makes you a much better forager.
RM: What is the craziest or most surprising thing you’ve ever foraged?
Nelson: Foraging wild wasabi greens in Japan. Wasabi is so normalized as a food in society that it’s easy to forget it comes from a plant. Getting to see wasabi just chilling out in the wild in its native habitat was a powerful reminder of how many amazing natural things we take for granted every day.
RM: Is there a specific target you are still searching for in the foraging world?
Nelson: I really want to forage my own matsutake mushrooms. They are super prized, super fragrant delicacies much more famous in parts of eastern Asia. They grow right here in the U.S. in pine barrens, and from what I’ve been told, you can literally smell them as you approach. I have been lucky enough to be gifted ones that friends have foraged before, but I want to find one out in the world myself.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
