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SBS Australia
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
What is the experience of foraging really like?
A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking I'm deep in a state pine forest, the scent of damp earth curling into my lungs. It's almost completely silent, except for the trees shifting in the breeze. I'm alone, wearing a yellow raincoat not just for cheer, but visibility. And then, I see it. Nestled amongst the fallen pine needles, a delicate orange cap curving up at the edges with visible concentric rings and a bruised green edge. I gently slice it with my foraging knife and orange milk seeps out. Saffron milk cap – I've found my first edible mushroom. Foraging, especially as a chef, feels like plugging back into something primal and profound – an ancient method of connecting with the food that we eat. But first, what even is foraging? Foraging, by definition, refers to the practice of searching for and gathering food from the wild. A skill that dates back to ancient times, foraging for food in the wild is gaining renewed popularity across Australia. Though it is no longer a survival skill necessary in our modern, plugged in world, it's a growing movement that appeals to urban and rural communities alike. The growing popularity of urban foraging Diego Bonetto, a respected Australian forager and educator, explains that foraging is rising in popularity amongst diverse groups who attend his workshops. Young families, gardeners, and bush regenerators, environmentalists, alternative medicinal practitioners and elder migrants flock to Bonetto's workshops, all of whom are seeking to engage with nature in a more meaningful way through foraging. Forager Diego Bonetto with a bounty of mushrooms. Credit: Sireshan Kander 'Foraging for wild food and medicine is a gateway into a deeper connection with our ecologies,' Diego explains, and those who 'want a more connected life, want the knowledge as they can see the potential for a participative approach to nature, in all of its abundance.' Foraging offers something rare in this modern day and age: connection with nature, the thrill of discovery and the satisfaction of harvesting your own food. To be a true forager requires time, study and respect, but the pay-offs are well worth the investment. Though foraging may seem simple, it requires a complex understanding of the environment, the plants and fungi that thrive there. More than just a set of skills learned from a book or video, foraging is a mindset that begins with understanding the seasons, respecting the cycle of nature and knowing what to take, how much and when. Though there are plenty of online and book resources helping people understand the meaning of what it is to forage, it's essential that novice foragers learn from seasoned guides directly in the field, as misidentifying plants or mushrooms can have dangerous consequences. It is advisable to be guided by experts especially for first-time foragers. Many plants change the shape of their leaves over time, making identification challenging. Many fungi (whether edible or poisonous) closely resemble one each other, with very subtle differences in their identifying features. 'It's not enough to do a quick google search and assume that's enough to forage safely,' Bonetto advises, 'It is incredibly important for novice foragers to walk with an expert forager as a first step in order to lock in key identifying features of both edible mushrooms and their poisonous lookalikes. It's easy to make a mistake as some mushrooms are very hard to tell apart.' A good foraging teacher will help you identify and memorise key identifying features for what foods to pick, including specific shape, size, smell and colour to help teach you the confidence to practice foraging on your own. The forgotten art of foraging My own journey as a forager first started in the inner west where we learned to search for lilly pillies and pink peppercorns which led to a seaside foraging class to pick warrigal greens, followed by multiple mushroom foraging classes. Each new experience deepened my appreciation for the abundance of wild food around us and the ancient practice of connecting directly with the food we consume. Australia is packed with native herbs and spices - and they may be more accessible than you think. Source: Instagram / Gayle and Mike Quarmby/Instagram It took months of planning to secure a spot at Diego's coveted beginner mushroom workshop in Oberon. We arrived in the forest, baskets-in-arms, where Diego stood beside a long table lined with freshly picked mushroom specimens – both edible and toxic. He carefully walked us through the key identifying features – the cap, gills, stipe (or stem), the veil, subtle colour changes and even the scents that can present themselves in mushrooms. Armed with this knowledge, we headed into the forest to put our knowledge to the test. On our return, Diego meticulously sorted through our mushroom finds, inspecting each specimen to ensure that nothing poisonous had slipped into our baskets. It's easy to see the appeal of mushroom foraging in particular as a growing number of people look to learn how they can 'shop' in the supermarket of their backyard. At Sydney's Carriageworks market, prized foraged mushrooms such as slippery jacks and saffron milk caps can fetch up to $80 per kilo – that's up to seven times more expensive than your average supermarket button mushroom. After a few weeks of carefully reviewing my workshop notes, I finally felt confident enough to try foraging enough alone. I selected an unmarked patch of state pine forest in Oberon to explore. No guide, no group, just me, my knife and the trees. Each foraged mushroom I found felt like I was uncovering hidden treasure and I filled my small basket with mixed funghi. On my return home, I made a simple wild mushroom mac and cheese. Every bite was a reminder that the patience, learning and respect for the process had all been worth it. And how much I couldn't wait to dive straight back into the forest next season. Want to try foraging for yourself? Here are five tips to get started: Learn from the experts: Before venturing out on your own, take a class or join a guided foraging tour to understand the basics of plant and mushroom identification. Start simple: Focus on easily identifiable species to build confidence before expanding your knowledge. Know your terrain: Research local foraging locations and seasonal climate conditions to ensure peak foraging conditions. Harvest with care: Pick only what you need, ensuring you take from abundance and select specimens at their peak condition. Respect the forest, leaving it undisturbed and un-littered as you leave. Test your tolerance: Wild foods can be challenging to digest for some people. Taste small quantities to assess your tolerance before eating larger amounts.
Forbes
20-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
3 Lessons On How To Create A Category Defining Brand
Aerial view on green pine forest There are more than 70,0000 tree species and some of them taste delicious. This bold, contrasting statement is exactly the kind of provocative observation that category-defining brands use to make you stop and think. For business leaders, a whole realm of market possibilities, previously ignored, might suddenly come into focus as the category emerges. Defining a category often involves bringing together two or more established elements in a new context. Think Airbnb, which merged residential space with the lodging industry. Or Netflix with its blend of video rental and digital streaming. Even more recently advances in AI where models like ChatGPT clearly define a new domain for operational and agentic AI, weaving together deep research, language, and reasoning. Category-defining brands can catapult a business to exponential growth, but there are key elements they must possess for growth to occur. A comprehensive analysis by Kantar BrandZ and Oxford University's Saïd Business School measured 872 brands between 2006-2022 across multiple categories, and found that consumer-perceived difference is the most important brand attribute for outperforming share price. Thus, how can both established and new businesses build products that outshine the market through their distinctiveness? Ben Branson, founder of non-alcoholic spirit brand Seedlip, acquired by Diageo, and now founder of Sylva, recently shared his insights on creating an entirely new category of non-alcoholic drinks crafted from trees. Identifying Market Gaps Gathering public data and conducting research into your intended market is only the start. To truly identify gaps, Ben Branson advises diving deeper: engaging in direct conversations, conducting interviews, and seeking out the professionals embedded in adjacent markets. These qualitative markers give clues as to why a gap exists and whether it's truly untapped. Ben methodically called the top bars and hospitality businesses in the UK, asking what they needed behind the bar for non-alcoholic drinks. He found out that most non-alcoholic options were sweet sodas and juices, which provided plenty of sugary flavors, but no ritual or complexity. Ben's relentless inquiry surfaced a fundamental insight: there was demand for grown-up, complex, non-alcoholic options. Acting on this, Ben built Seedlip, the first distilled non-alcoholic spirit, ushering a new market category. Today, Ben is applying the same obsessive curiosity to his latest venture focused on harnessing the flavors of wood. Nothing Is Original Everything Is A Remix For new ideas to catch on, it helps if there's something recognizable for consumers to hold onto. Successful product adoption often hinges on consumers seeing a next logical step from what they already know, it's a familiar framework remixed into something novel. Consider how Steve Jobs transformed the market with the iPod, not just by making existing MP3 players better, but by reimagining their potential. He famously stated, '1,000 songs in your pocket,' which represented a significant expansion from the capabilities of earlier MP3 players. Later, the iPhone combined the functionalities of a phone, an iPod, and the internet into one groundbreaking device. Similarly, companies like Tesla, Uber, and Lyft have succeeded by educating their audiences about the possibilities of new technologies, helping people understand the connection between existing technologies and the innovations that follow. Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces a new online music service along with the new IPOD players and ... More IMusic software. (Photo by Kim Kulish/Corbis via Getty Images) Create A Unique Story and Experience Creating a new product or category requires a compelling narrative to engage a curious audience. It is essential to have a clear and persuasive message, Branson adds that is equally important to specify what your product and brand is not. By clearly distinguishing the offering from existing alternatives, the brand is positioned around a unique value proposition that creates its own demand, rather than merely competing within the existing market. Yet, to carve out and defend a new category, businesses need more than a good idea, you'll need to shape how people think about it. Branson focused relentlessly on every detail: from the design of each product's label to its presentation at events and in stores, and the careful crafting of brand messaging. Together, these elements created a rich, cohesive brand experience that deeply engaged consumers. In order to craft a narrative consider to: Bringing A Category-Defining Solution To The Market No genuine innovation arrives without critics. Shaping new consumption habits, whether it's building digital signature confidence with DocuSign or rallying behind skateboarding as a professional sport, it often means challenging the status quo. The path isn't always clear, but commitment to the new category and ongoing consumer education build the credibility and momentum necessary for adoption. Category creation recognizes what already exists in fragmented form and brings those elements together in ways that feel inevitable in hindsight. The brands that achieve this transformation share three fundamental practices: they listen more deeply than their competitors, they connect familiar concepts in unfamiliar ways, and they persist through the inevitable resistance that accompanies genuine innovation. This approach creates a clear path to meaningful differentiation, exponential growth, and the opportunity to build a pioneer brand in a space that was previously overlooked.
CBC
11-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Kanien'kehá:ka mark 35 years since the events known as the Oka Crisis, or the siege of Kanehsatà:ke
People in Kanehsatà:ke marched through the pine forest, which was at the heart of the dispute, to commemorate the anniversary.
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- The Guardian
Giant sand dunes, splash parks and cycle paths: discover family-friendly adventure beyond Bordeaux
More than 140 miles of sand dunes stretch along the Atlantic coast of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a rich ecosystem that includes vast maritime pine forest. Indeed, the coastline is one immense length of gorgeously soft sand beach, broken only by the inlet to Arcachon Bay, 40 miles west of Bordeaux. But there is so much more than magnificent dunes to discover along the Médoc-Atlantique. At the Hourtin dunes and marshes nature reserve, 40 miles north-west of Bordeaux, you can discover not only the dune ridge and pine forest, but marshy meadows, lakes – and a much quieter, off-the-tourist-trail experience. There are self-guided hikes along waymarked trails, including boardwalks above the vegetation, in addition to guided walks from the reserve visitor centre with expert naturalists. Both help visitors appreciate this extensive and important ecosystem without causing sustained damage to it. Discover self-guided hikes at Hourtin dunes and marshes nature reserve; try canoeing at Le Moutchic or windsurfing at the UCPA Centre Nautique. Photographs: Medoc Atlantique Tourisme; Jean-Emmanuel Jay; Shutterstock Inland from Aquitaine's beaches and sand dunes are Lac d'Hourtin and its smaller neighbour, Lac de Lacanau, both popular with watersports enthusiasts. At Hourtin Port, the UCPA Centre Nautique offers kitesurfing, windsurfing, catamaran sailing and paddleboarding on the huge, shallow lake, with instruction in French and English. There's a water garden adjacent to the centre for little ones, with specially adapted equipment, too. Hourtin also has an inflatable water park, Splash Park, on the lake (for children from seven years), with a similar facility at Le Moutchic at the north end of Lac de Lacanau, too. Here, you can hire canoes and paddleboards to venture off to find the secret, hidden beaches on the west shore of the lake. It really is a wonderful, tranquil place to explore the natural surroundings and wildlife from the water. If staying on solid ground is more your thing, the hundreds of square miles of pine forests offer cool, scented respite from late summer temperatures for cycling, with waymarked cycle trails throughout the Médoc-Atlantique. It's a very pleasant way to reach the little beach resorts, such as Lacanau-Ocean, Carcans-Plage or Hourtin-Plage. My pick is a stop at La Benarderie, a fantastic farm shop supporting local agriculture north of Hourtin, to pick up picnic treats on a bike ride. Arcachon is home to 15 miles of cycle paths; you'll find 19th-century stilt cabins on the Île aux Oiseaux; visit Source des Abatilles, a colourful kiosk where mineral water comes up from the ground. Photographs: Kevin Biette; Shutterstock; Alamy Or you could simply set off by bike to explore the 15 miles of waymarked cycle paths that crisscross Arcachon, discovering the town's marina, its beaches, and the beautiful belle époque architecture while admiring the views over the Arcachon Bay. This sheltered aquatic playground is a must for lovers of outdoor activities. Be sure to stop by at the Source des Abatilles, a pretty and colourful kiosk from the belle époque period where the famous mineral water (served in high-end restaurants throughout France) comes up from the ground having travelled through volcanic rock from the Auvergne. To experience the Arcachon Bay at an even slower pace, though, step on board a pinasse, the traditional wooden boat that's emblematic of Arcachon. You'll see the sights of the bay on your boat trip, including Cap Ferrat and the Île aux Oiseaux with its characteristic 19th-century stilt cabins – perched above the water. You'll also pass by the Dune du Pilat, the most famous of Aquitaine's dunes and the highest dune in Europe, which is labelled as a Grand Site de France. With its incredible dune-forest-ocean panoramas, the Dune du Pilat is one of France's most visited natural sites. Passing it at sea level on board a pinasse brings its sheer scale into awe-inspiring focus. But, perhaps, the best part of the trip is stopping off along the way for a one-hour yoga session on the beach, with the sound of the sea as your soundtrack. Inland, a popular excursion from Bordeaux is cycling along the Roger Lapébie cycle track, a 35-mile, traffic-free cycle path between Bordeaux and Sauveterre-de-Guyenne. Créon, a bastide town along the route, is a fabulous stop for lunch with several good restaurants. You'll pass through varied countryside along the greenway, including Entre-Deux-Mers vineyards. The Roger Lapébie cycle track will take you from Bordeaux to Sauveterre-de-Guyenne (bottom right); discover the history of the region at Saucats-La Brède geological nature reserve. Photographs: Le temps d'un week-end; Shutterstock It's hard to tell by sipping a glass of chilled white in a local restaurant, but Aquitaine was once – 20 million years ago! – a tropical sea. A visit to Saucats-La Brède geological nature reserve, 18 miles south of Bordeaux, helps bring this to life. At the visitor centre you'll see shark teeth, corals, and tropical shells from Aquitaine, alongside fossils on a guided walk through the forest – a last reminder that this is one very special landscape. Bordeaux: where to eat, sleep and visit Eat … Fleur des Pins, Arcachon This is culinary art at affordable prices. Go for the lunchtime Menu de la Semaine for best value. Expect oysters and other local, seasonal …Les Cabanes Girondines Opt for fabulous treehouses and handmade wood cabins surrounded by prestigious vineyards, only 15 minutes from miss … Ouvre la Voix (5-7 September) September's Ouvre la Voix cyclo-musical festival at Entre-deux-Mers, has gentle bike rides for all, music, heritage and gastronomy. If you'd like to discover more on Bordeaux and why sailing to France with Brittany Ferries is the best way to start your holiday, then visit Set sail from Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth and enjoy up to seven days in France from just £206, based on a car and two passengers
