Wild Basket initiative brings traditional foraging techniques to future generations

Searching for a way to educate people about the importance of the forested land in the Timiskaming First Nation, Tara Dantouze decided there was no better way than to encourage community members to get out and get their hands dirty.

"We really want to have an impact on what goes on on our territory," said Dantouze. "So, what better way to do it than to have people out in the forest harvesting foods, picking traditional medicines?" 

Dantouze, director of natural resources for the community, decided to start an initiative called The Wild Basket in order to feed and educate people.

"Our goal for the project was to reconnect to the land and to be able to provide our community members with nutritious food from the forest," said Dantouze.

She and other members of the group head out into the forest and collect whatever produce is currently in season. 

They then sell that food to community members and to restaurants in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.

"We sell a variety of products, which includes fresh fiddleheads, cattail hearts, wild mushrooms, spices and tea leaves, just to name a few." 

When the season allows for it, The Wild Basket also forages for berries and hazelnuts. 

"That's the best thing about this type of business," said Dantouze. "We're really at the mercy of Mother Earth. So whatever Mother Earth is able to provide during that season, that's kind of what we'll take advantage of."

Dantouze says the group uses a combination of traditional knowledge and modern techniques to find the food.

Using maps and environmental monitors, they are able to better tell what parts of the forest contain what they're looking for. 

"Every time we have a new species coming up for harvesting, we're going to be hosting a workshop that details how to identify it, how to harvest it and how to cook it, so that we're able to transfer that knowledge to the next generation," she said. 

A food-processing unit on wheels

Recently, The Wild Basket initiative has been able to facilitate the cleaning and processing of the food they harvest through the use of a trailer, hitched to the back of a pickup truck. 

While it looks like your average trailer from the outside, the vehicle is equipped with refrigerators, storage space for the produce, food dehydrators and everything needed to process what the group collects. 

"This trailer will hopefully help us become more efficient with our time and resources," said Dantouze. 

The Wild Basket acquired the truck through a partnership with Canadore College in North Bay, Ont.

The group is hoping to use it to create and sell ready-to-eat meals such as soup mixes, steak spice, and even flavoured carbonated water in the coming months. 

"It's really important for us to bring something back to the community — something that's tangible for them to see," said Dantouze. "I'm just excited about the possibilities." 

LISTEN | Tara Dantouze describes The Wild Basket project: