User:TimeEngineer/sandbox/A Foragers Guide to Jerusalem/Preface

Preface
A long time ago, the way that humans got food was through hunting and gathering, also known as foraging. Today's modern humans buy most of our food in stores, but some parts of our history remain. We go fishing in a lake somewhere, or hunting for sport. We grow some basil in our garden, or have a plant from the grocery store in our kitchen window, just waiting for our next pasta dish. These food are so fresh, and free! But they take work, they don't fit into our busy lifestyle, and aren't really accessible.

But there is another way that we can get fresh produce whenever we want, and connect back to our historic nomadic roots, by foraging! A forager, according to wikipedia is someone who collects edible plants or fungi for consumption. Urban foraging is specifically focused on foraging in cities, rather than the country side. Foraging is really easy and rewarding, but you need to know a little about what you're doing to avoid getting sick and to get the most out of your practice.

This book is focused on foraging in urban and suburban Jerusalem, Israel. Its broken up by plant type, and has recipes to go with each plant. In addition, due to the significance of Israeli agriculture on the Jewish religion and practice, some time will be devoted to relevant religious practices around the food.