Urban Forager Steve Brill Tells Us What You Can Eat in NYC Parks
22.05.12
How would you introduce yourself for those who don’t know who you are? I’m a freelance naturalist environmental education, author, and artist. I lead public tours in parks, mostly throughout greater New York area. I work with schools, day camps, birthday parties, scout troops and more.
Sometimes the Park Department arrests me, sometimes they hire me, sometimes they do both. 26 years ago, they put undercover agents on my tour and arrested me. They charged me with criminal mischief for removing vegetation from a park for eating a dandelion. Fortunately, I had eaten all the evidence, so I avoided a year in jail. Then the Department dropped the charges and hired me to do the same walking tours they had arrested me for.
What is a naturalist? It’s someone who studies nature. As in the 19th century. I’m always looking for new things to learn, outdoors, and even indoors, I’m constantly listening to science podcasts. I’m very involved with nature and I do a lot of experiments in the kitchen with natural foods. I have a cookbook with 500 recipes, and I’ll be coming out with a recipe app with close to 1000 recipes this spring.
Source: Gothamist