cindy | forager & fruit fiend 🍉

My mom is sooo good at spotting things whether its wild greens on the trail or $1 cashmere sweaters at the swapmeet. She has been doing this her whole life: harvesting wild food, taking them home to make dumplings, stir fries, or dipping in fermented bean sauce. Foraging was a part of my mom’s survival - She grew up during a time of scarcity, famine, and uncertainty, at times not knowing when or what her next meal would be. When she first immigrated, with me in her belly, she hiked in the mountains in California, wondering when she would see the red hawthorn berries that made her mouth water. She never found them here, but she did see related species of some wild greens she was familiar with: wild celery, wild fennel, wild radish, and then some new species she learned about through other immigrant friends. I have a different relationship with land and food than she does, (one marked by less scarcity, because of her immigration), but I like to think that we share the same delight when we see our favorite edible plants growing along the trail. #foraging #dumplings #foragedfood #chinesemom

For Cindy Li (@cindydoedee ), foraging knowledge is intergenerational, wrapped up in her parents’ immigrant experience. Having grown up in China during the Cultural Revolution, “they were foraging mostly for survival,” she explains. “I spent most of my childhood in the backyard getting to know plants really well.” This month, Li will begin offering guided foraging tours in San Francisco and the East Bay. “I would love for people to walk away with a sense of abundance in the place that they live,” she says. Head to the link in @kqedarts ’ bio to get a sneak peek into Li’s upcoming foraging tours and find out how you can sign up. ✍️ & 📹: @oliviacruzmayeda 📸: Martin do Nascimento

NOTE date change! Tuesday May 26! Curious about what herbs and mushrooms grow abundantly around us? Interested in foraging for herbs with significance in Traditional Chinese Medicine? Join forager & TCM enthusiast Cindy for an evening discussion & tea tasting. We will have a sampling of freshly foraged herbs and talk about of foraging in the Bay Area, TCM properties of some herbs, what to forage right now, foraging ethics, and enjoy a sensory experience together. Please bring your own mug to help us reduce waste of single use cups. About: @cindydoedee is a forager and Chinese medicine enthusiast passionate about reconnecting community with the natural world. She grew up foraging with her mom, and now hosts flora and fungi nature walks in the Bay Area. They care about food sovereignty and empowering marginalized groups in outdoor spaces. She also runs @uproot.teas a small batch loose leaf tea company. @far_leaves_tea is an old teahouse in Berkeley serving quality tea and herbs from around the world. It is a space to slow down and savor, encouraging everyone to enjoy tea in their own way. Photos not from Far Leaves but from previous tea tasting! Courtesy of FAACTs :) #tea #foraging #tcm #chinesemedicine #bayareaevents

*DISCLAIMER* Please only do this with a professional. The Bay is blessed with an incredible climate that offers SO.MUCH. food to be foraged all year round, so why not at least supplement? I can’t wait to continue learning this craft 😍 If you want to learn how to forage, check out Cindy’s page and sign up for a class. You won’t regret it 🧑🏾‍🌾 #foraging #sanfrancisco #oakland #groceries #fyp

Aside from having more fun, saving money, & reducing plastic waste, boycotting grocery stores has also helped me appreciate my food more - especially when it comes in the form of taking an animal’s life. I am an omnivore, and probably will always be. I really appreciate yummy meat and fresh seafood. I feel that it is my responsibility to cherish and honor an animal, and also be a close part of its death if I am to eat it. Since starting this challenge, i have been eating less meat because it IS harder to acquire meat that is ethically harvested (or that I can accept), which also feels right. I’m not yet hunting (though i did do my hunter’s education last year) but i would like to eventually! fishing and crabbing feels a little more approachable right now. I’m also not against supporting other people who are catching/hunting with care and respect for the animal and the land. I don’t know a lot about the ocean, but we’ve all seen those terrifying videos of bottom trawling and know how devastating mass commercial fishing is. I’m trying to find ways to eat more in line with my values. A reminder of why I’m not shopping at conventional grocery stores- I know I won’t be perfect, but my 3 goals are to: 1) develop a closer relationship with my food source, whether that is foraging directly from the land, growing my own food, exchanging with others who grow/catch/raise, or shopping locally 2) support local businesses, makers, growers, catchers, raisers, and sellers; Diverting from the industrial food complex as much as possible. a handful of powerful companies control the majority market share of ~80% of groceries bought regularly by Americans. These companies dominate every part of the food supply chain, with the power to lobby politically as well, all while farmers are some of the lowest paid workers and our food worsens. 3) reduce plastic consumption #food #bayarea #crabbing #boycottgrocerystores

You’re invited: we’re in a documentary!! Come see Meals That Made Us at its world premiere at CAAMFest this Friday in SF!! Back in December, I took my friends, director Nisha Balaram @_nishabee_ and film crew foraging for a segment in Meals That Made Us, a digital series funded by the Center for Asian American Media @caamedia . The series explores how Asian Americans in the Bay Area use food to shape identity, build community, and imagine new futures. In it, I discuss what foraging means to me, my connection with land and ancestry, and why I do the work I do. The digital series will premiere as a one-hour screening at CAAMFest (US’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films). And my dad aka Fruit Daddy is attending! Just the night before filming, I called him to hear more of his childhood foraging stories for inspiration. I hope he will be proud of what I shared. I am such a huge fan of all these Bay Area AAPI food people featured and personally am soooo excited to see their stories on the screen. I can’t wait to meet many of them! I hope you can join us this Friday and/or the line up of amazing screenings happening during CAAMFest this weekend, 5/7-5/10. Screening details: 🎬 Friday 5/8, 5:30pm @ AMC Kabuki in SF. Get your tickets at CAAMFest.com You can get $2 off your ticket with code MTMUXCAAM. (And if you can’t afford a ticket please DM me and I’ll get you a free ticket :) #caamfest #foraging #food #aapi

right before Mother’s Day! NATURAL DYE WORKSHOP in Oakland!! Foraged to Fabric Vol 9 Join us for a whimsical afternoon on Sunday May 3 on a foray & natural dye afternoon to explore local flora and fungi and how to use them as natural dyes, crafting together in nature, and making our own tea towels! You’ll walk away with a hand-made gift just in time for Mother’s Day, or better yet- bring your mom (or the mom of your friend group) to craft together! This is the perfect way to enjoy a beautiful Bay Area spring afternoon, gain fiber art skills, and craft in community outside. By the end of this workshop, you will be able to spot familiar natural dyes plants that grow abundantly in the Bay Area and dye to your hearts desire at home. <3 Pallavi @hameshaproject and Cindy @cindydoedee Sunday, May 3, 1-4pm 📍Oakland (outdoor location sent to registered participants) details & tickets linked on our pages or at the url here: /e/foraged-to-fabric-pre-mothers-day-edition-76d1e328cc12 #bayareaevents #artevents #naturaldye #oakland

Turkey tail tea will be first come first served, this Thursday evening (4/16) at CalAcademy! Come join me for a short presentation on turkey tail, Chinese medicine mushrooms, and other local Bay Area fungi fun at California Academy of Sciences’ Fungus Night! This event is part of CalAcademy’s thursdays NightLife programming. $5 off with code CINDY5 📍 Cal Academy, San Francisco event starts at 6pm, my talk + tea tasting is at 7pm. First come first serve. See you there!! #turkeytail #chinesemedicine #foraging #mushroomforaging

MOMMY THEMED NATURAL DYE WORKSHOP in Oakland!! Foraged to Fabric Vol 9 🧚🏽🌸 Join us for a whimsical afternoon on Sunday May 3 on a foray & natural dye afternoon to explore local flora and fungi and how to use them as natural dyes, crafting together in nature, and making our own tea towels! You’ll walk away with a hand-made gift just in time for Mother’s Day, or better yet- bring your mom (or the mom of your friend group) to craft together! 👩🏻 This is the perfect way to enjoy a beautiful Bay Area spring afternoon, gain fiber art skills, and craft in community outside. By the end of this workshop, you will be able to spot familiar natural dyes plants that grow abundantly in the Bay Area and dye to your hearts desire at home. 🌱 💕 Pallavi @hameshaproject and Cindy @cindydoedee . 📸: @akevinyang Sunday, May 3, 1-4pm Oakland (outdoor location sent to registered participants) Please see all the events details linked on our pages or at the url here: /e/foraged-to-fabric-pre-mothers-day-edition-76d1e328cc12 #bayareaevents #artevents #naturaldye #oakland

Foraged Kimchi Tasting with @volcanokimchi & @cindydoedee !!! Join forager Cindy and Aruna Lee, Founder and Fermentress of Volcano Kimchi for a spring kimchi tasting menu at the Volcano Kimchi kitchen & headquarters, featuring foraged wild spring edibles turned into delicious kimchi. We’ll have tea, delicious fermented snacks, mingle, and enjoy the beautiful Bay Area spring together.  Sample Spring Kimchi Tasting Menu (subject to change based on the how the ferments are going) - Foraged Mugwort tea 5-6 different kimchis, including but not limited to: - Foraged wild garlic kimchi -Foraged wild radish kimchi -Beet leaf kimchi, mustard kimchi, jicama, mango... ? -Volcano Kimchi pancakes (GF, Vegan) -Surprise dessert **All of the kimchi are vegan and gluten free.  Jars of kimchi will be available for purchase on site. 1 photography work-trade available! If you’d like to help us photograph this event in exchange for a free ticket, please email [email protected] Sliding scale tickets $25-45, purchase via the link on my page or here /e/foraged-kimchi-tasting-cindydoedee-x-volcano-kimchi-dd60adb897d2 #sanfrancisco #kimchi #bayarea #events

Sorry to photobait, I’m posting this 1 month late so all the chanterelles and black trumpets are gone now Boycotting grocery stories day 5-6: foraging for herbs and mushrooms with my friends @kumasauce & @oakland.bio ! I didn’t do a great job documenting my meals… but they were delicious!! Sesame mushroom soba (buckwheat) noodles: I threw together the mushrooms in a garlic-y sautee using loads of three cornered garlic. Then I cooked the soba noodles and combined them with the mushrooms and added lots of sesame oil, and used the shiitake tamari from @sharedcultures . Top with some kimchi from @volcanokimchi and it’s *mwah* chef’s kiss so fire!!!! Next foraged tea tasting is May 15 at @yourlocaleconomy in Oakland. I will email folks on the newsletter when the event page is up!! or a mushroom/herbs walk you can join the newsletter - link’s on my page. #bayarea #foraging #mushsroomforaging #herbs

Day 2-3 of not shopping at grocery stores, featuring @volcanokimchi & @sharedcultures (not sponsored) What’s easy: Sharing food with friends and neighbors is so fun, yummy, and in line with all of my values. I’m not going to put restrictions on friends who cook for me because that doesn’t feel right, but I hope to cook for others as much as they cook for me (using non-grocery store items as much as possible) What’s hard: where to get oatmeal once i run out? This challenge is pushing me to examine what i eat and where these foods come from. To be honest, i don’t even know where oats grows or what the processing is like. Perhaps the answer is to find a local alternative to my beloved granola and morning oats. the seafood is more expensive at the farmer’s market, but i got to have locally caught wild fish and crab! might it be time to learn how to fish and crab? #grocerystoreboycott #bayarea #food #whatieat