A reader asked me recently. ‘How safe is it to forage in cities?’

It is an important question and one that needs to be taken seriously.

Most folks cite dog pee as a problem, to which I reply that it is not just dogs but a whole host of animals, including cats, foxes, badgers, rats, etc.

It is a law of nature that everything pees on something, and everything is, in turn, peed on!

And I like to ask people who are squeamish about foraging this question.

‘Do you think plants grown in allotments or on farms are some how less likely to have been peed on by an animal?’

After all, regardless of the nationalistic fervour around borders. Non-human animals don’t care about such human constructs. And there are a lot of rats in allotments and on farms.

Rats spread leptospirosis, also known as Weil’s disease. The symptoms range from mild flu to very serious complications such as liver and kidney failure, meningitis, etc.

But do not freak out!

The World Health Organisation estimates that 0.1 to 1 per 100,000 people living in temperate regions, like the UK, contract Weil’s disease yearly.

‘In England, from 2020 to 2023 there were on average 57 laboratory-confirmed cases and 89 probable cases annually.’ Source: gov.uk

You have as much chance of catching it from allotments and outdoor farmed food as you do from foraging wild edible plants.

Cooking destroys leptospirosis, as it cannot survive above 50°C/122 °F.

Animal faeces (including dogs) contain a wide range of harmful pathogens, such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter.

With these nasties, you must guarantee that you cook your food (farmed or foraged) at temperatures above 70°C/158°F.

That is why the Chinese figured out a long time ago that cooking food at high temperatures was a smart idea to protect public health.

Welcome to the wok.

The original wok, made of clay, was used to dry grains. It can be traced back to the Han dynasty, roughly 2000 years ago.

Metal woks were introduced into use in the Ming dynasty roughly 650 years ago, coincidentally with the rise in stir-frying. High heat kills bacteria and other microorganisms.

The lesson today: cook everything.

In future posts, I’ll cover how to avoid pesticides, toxic soil, pollution, etc. Get notified by subscribing using the form below.

Talk soon,

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