Urban forager finds food in unexpected places

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – Tucked away in the heart of the Portland neighborhood, sitting behind a chain link fence is Amanda Fuller's urban garden.

"We can hear the highway, Portland Ave. is right here and it's a busy street," Fuller explained.

The charm of her plot stretches far beyond the roar of cars and planes. It's as much about what Fuller has cultivated over the past few years as it is about what she didn't intentionally put there.

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"There are things that are common to us but people don't realize are edible," Fuller said as she picked a dandelion leaf and a flower from the ground.

As an urban forager, Fuller looks for things to eat beyond her garden.

"There are multiple parts of the dandelion that you can eat and use, the flowers are edible," Fuller explained as she took a bite out of a bright yellow flower. "Violets are also a gorgeous edible flower."

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With hidden surprises all over the city, Fuller said Louisville is far from being a food desert. While people are waiting on their cabbages and other salad greens to grow at this point, she said she's been eating salads for a full month now, thanks to her "weeds."

"When I started learning that and realizing it, it really changed my world and the way I look at my neighborhood," Fuller said.

That neighborhood that she loves so much is not short on help either.

"It takes a village," Fuller said. "That's why we are here, and I really couldn't have landed in a better place."

Fuller said neighbors are not shy about helping out whenever she needs it, whether it's letting her catch rain water off their roof or giving a hand with moving items in the garden.

With all this help, Fuller said she is able to source vegetables to a local restaurant. The Table in Portland uses her produce to make food that goes right back into the neighborhood. In other words, it's a dream for Fuller.

"It's one thing about Louisville that people don't appreciate how lucky we are here, to have opportunities," Fuller said. "There are these kinds of opportunities where you can make your dreams come true!"

Fuller has extensive knowledge of different plants that are found around the city. She said you'd be surprised about how many things are edible.

Fuller is hosting a Spring Foraging workshop that's taking place on April 23 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The workshop is at 1647 Portland Ave., right on Fuller's farm. Click here for tickets.

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