Fox among bears

“Meet me in the parking lot of the World Market,” Wade says.

I have no idea where we’re going, but some people you trust to lead you on an adventure. Wade is one of those people.

Wade and I have been insta-friends for a few years, but this trip was the first opportunity to meet in person. In the parking lot of a strip mall, we exchange the literal fruit of our obsessions. I realize I’m the clear winner of this trade, as Wade hands me jars of koji honeysuckle syrup, raw cane syrup from his father-in-law, a bag of JUST PICKED chanterelles, Oaxacan green corn, huitlacoche spores, and live turmeric and ginger plants. I offer a small pack of Oaxacan cilantro seeds, a couple black Texas persimmon seeds I find in my pocket, and a U.A.F. Zine. We laugh about the pleasure in our black market trunk swap.

Wade Fox, in an undisclosed foraging spot

Back in our cars, we follow Wade through a fancy neighborhood entrance with a guard who clearly knows him well. Security waves us through. At the very end of the winding road, through overlapping moss covered oak trees and beautiful homes, we park at a small pathway and begin on foot. This is Bears Island.

Not far along the path, sea beans are everywhere we step. As Wade starts picking and talking about farming on Bears Island, I snap one out of the sand and taste the salty marsh, translated through the bean. It’s fibrous and I realize there’s more to picking sea beans than I thought. I ask Wade for advice, and he suggests snapping it like asparagus. Just the top, tender part, that breaks easily without resistance.

I’m amazed at Wade’s dedication to the landscape, understanding local foraging to a degree other’s might dedicate to learning the names of every dinosaur or baseball player - Wade’s own analogy. As the conversation turns towards his projects with Koji (a mold used for fermentation), I once again lose track as the terms float a bit over my head. It was the same when I took Rich Shih’s Koji class earlier this year. Some day I’ll start to process the information, maybe it needs to ferment in my brain first.

Wade has been working on experiments that incorporate Koji into the soil. We’ve spoken before about Bokashi composting, which converts food waste into a soil amendment. I’m renewed in my dedication to try Bokashi, hoping it will get me one step closer to seeing how koji and soil might play together, like Wade suggests. My most recent attempt at adding fungus to my compost created an environment that broke down my seedlings before they could find the mycelium useful. These experiments are all trial and error, and Wade talks about as many failures as successes. To me, this is where the real wisdom comes from, trying all the pathways and knowing which ones not to take.

After a few hours exploring Bears Island on foot, we feel the change in temperature and pressure, and pick up speed back to the entrance. Just when I think our adventure is ending, Wade casually mentions a patch of chanterelle mushrooms he noticed on his drive in. I jump at the chance to collect a bag of my favorite mushrooms for an omelette dinner.

You can follow Wade’s foraging and fermenting journey on Instagram @foxamongbears. Photos by Richard Casteel @dandeliongatherings.

LET’s GROW FOOD, TOGETHER.