Foraging, or the practice of gathering wild foods, has become more popular over the years as people seek a more authentic connection with nature and with what they eat.

But there is a lot to know about how to do it and where it’s allowed – especially in the Milwaukee area, where legacy industrial pollution has left behind contaminated soil in many places.

Experts say you should not eat something unless you’re completely certain of what it is and whether it is safe to eat. They also remind people not to take more than they need.

Here’s what to know about where you can – and can’t – forage in Milwaukee and the surrounding area.

Is it legal to forage in Milwaukee County parks?

No.

Milwaukee County Ordinance 47.08 says no person shall “harvest, collect, deface, or disturb” native plants or fungi anywhere in the park system. The removal of invasive species is only permitted by parks department staff or others they have authorized. Breaking the rule comes at a cost of $100.

The ordinance is in place largely because many soils around the county are contaminated due to the area’s industrial history, said James Tarantino, deputy director of Milwaukee County Parks. In other words, it’s a safety issue.

“People really can’t assume that just because this field is green and it has plants growing on it that it’s always been that way,” Tarantino said.

The parks department is working on restoring native habitat and cleaning up soils, including in the Milwaukee River corridor, which is designated as one of the most degraded areas in the Great Lakes region.

Tarantino said the number of tickets issued for foraging in the parks is small and usually occurs when people are taking large quantities of a plant for commercial use. Typically, parks department staffers try to to educate people about the reasons foraging is not allowed, he said.

Is it legal to forage in Wisconsin state parks?

Foraging is allowed on state lands, including parks, forests and natural areas – but some rules still apply.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, people can forage for edible fruits and nuts; wild mushrooms; wild asparagus and watercress; and garlic mustard and other invasive species, without a permit.

Still, it is only allowed for personal consumption. Collecting seeds, plant parts and wild ramps is not allowed. Foraging of endangered or threatened species is similarly banned, and the state has specific rules for harvesting wild rice and wild ginseng.

Do other counties allow foraging?

Foraging is legal in some Wisconsin county parks. It’s always a good idea to check in advance.

Dane County, for example, offers a list of specific locations within parks to find nuts, morel mushrooms, berries and other fruits, as well as the best times to harvest.

Madeline Heim covers health and the environment for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@usatodayco.com.

A Milwaukee Common Council committee, this week, supported legislative action aimed at addressing the city’s food desert crisis on the city’s north side.

At the April 8 Steering and Rules Committee meeting, leaders discussed at length the growing frustration with sudden closures of grocery stores and the minimal notice they said residents received before the businesses shut down.

District 1 Alderwoman Andrea Pratt referenced the sudden January closure by owners of the Aldi near North Sherman Boulevard and West Custer Avenue.

“They left me a voicemail on January 9 to tell me they were closing on January 11, which means that all those people in that neighborhood were left without a grocery store in two days. They found out on the news,” she said.

The committee approved adopting a city ordinance to require licensed food establishments to provide the city written notice of their intent to close a business at least 60 days before the planned closure.

The measure will go up for a vote by the full council.

“They are there, not only to conduct business, but are very much a part of our neighborhoods and very much a part of our community; they have a responsibility, and they have to be accountable,” Pratt said of food businesses.

The planned opening of a grocery store to replace the now-departed Sentry Foods at 64th and Silver Spring Drive in Ald. Mark Chambers Jr.’s district hit a snag.

“The Sentry is going to be re-imaged and repurposed into a grocery called One City Supermarket that will be opening up soon, this month,” he said, “There are still some kinks that are coming out as far as accepting SNAP and things for the federal government, so that’s what’s holding up the grand opening on that one.

A sign posted on the door said the grand opening was scheduled for April 26. It is unclear if the issue Chambers revealed would push the date.

Chambers supported the 60-day notice ordinance along with the resolution to declare food apartheid a public health emergency in the city.

A 2023 article published by Jo Walker for the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability cited Karen Washington, a food justice advocate, for coining the term as drawing attention.

Karen Washington, food justice advocate, organizer, and author, first coined the term food apartheid to draw attention to the “root causes of inequity in our food system based on race, class, and geography.” The article went on to say Washington emphasized “healthy, fresh food is accessible in wealthy neighborhoods while unhealthy food abounds in poor neighborhoods.”

“This [resolution] is necessary because we, as alders on the Northside [of Milwaukee] are severely impacted compared to our counterparts on the south side,” Chambers, who represents District 1 said.

“You shouldn’t wake up in a food desert,” Ald. Pratt added.

Have you ever been to the 4th Base Bar and Grill in Milwaukee, Wisconsin? I just learned about this place today, and it’s definitely a place I need to experience this summer!

Milwaukee’s Mullet Bar

As a lifelong Illinois girl who comes from a family of Chicago Cubs fans, I feel legally obligated to side-eye anything related to Milwaukee and baseball. However, for 4th Base Bar and Grill, I am willing to make an exception.

From the outside, the 4th Base Bar and Grill may look like your average sports/dive bar, but a truly unique dining experience awaits you inside.

4th Base Bar and Grill is often referred to as Milwaukee’s mullet bar, because it’s the best way to describe it: Sports bar in the front, fancy steakhouse in the back.

Please allow me to explain.

What Makes 4th Base Bar and Grill Unique

At 4th Base Bar and Grill, there is no menu.

Instead, there is a full deli case in the back where you walk up and choose what you want to eat, and then the chef whips up a fabulous meal with it.

We’re talking filet mignon, king crab, scallops… the kind of dinner you’d expect somewhere with white tablecloths and waiters wearing bowties… not next to a guy in a Brewers jersey yelling at the TV.

Fun Fact About 4th Base Bar and Grill

Another thing that makes 4th Base stand out is this:

Not only has it been around since the late 1970s, but the bar also had a cameo in the baseball movie Major League released in 1989!

Does this look familiar?

The next time you venture north to Milwaukee, be sure to give 4th Base a try… and maybe leave your Cubs jersey at home.

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