Students majoring in agroecology, agronomy, or horticulture are often able to tie coursework into their agriculture-related interests. For instance, Amy Elbe, a horticulture major, recently completed her capstone project. One of the elements of her capstone focused on foraging, a topic she has a depth of experience in.
Elbe is a non-traditional student who is completing a horticulture degree after working for many years as a veterinary health professional. She is interested in nature in connection with food, health, and wellness. Part of what made Elbe interested in a degree in horticulture was her desire to learn more about why certain plants were safe or dangerous to eat.
She took Horticulture 699 for her capstone project with Claudia Irene Calderón, a teaching faculty in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, as her advisor. CALS Capstone courses require students to integrate diverse bodies of knowledge to solve a problem or formulate a policy of societal importance.
As a part of her capstone, Elbe wrote “Foraging: Local knowledge for fun, free, food security”, a narrative tying her personal experience with local foods that can be foraged.
Use the links below to read Elbe’s journey and learn more about foraging in the Midwest.