LOS ANGELES– On a warm afternoon in Ladera Park, Los Angeles, forager Jessica Lin peels back a strip of bark and passes it around. The layer is thin and papery– it can be used for tea, she explains. She then gestures toward clusters of fruit hanging from the same tree, describing how they change from green to yellow and then to a fiery red.
In the “City of Angels,” Lin is teaching Los Angeles residents to see their surroundings differently. Through her program, Foraging in LA, Lin leads guided walks that introduce participants to edible plants growing in parks, sidewalks, and overlooked urban spaces. Her mission is both practical and philosophical: to reconnect people with their environment while promoting sustainable foraging practices. The Lion took to the streets to engage in one of her classes.
Lin’s walks start off by holding a simple meditation for the group, taking time to appreciate the individual body and environment. She addressed common assumptions about LA foraging and the region around it.
“We actually don’t live in a desert,” Lin told the group. “We live in the Mediterranean region.”
Her distinctions help clarify why certain plants thrive in Los Angeles. The city’s climate—defined by dry summers and mild, wet winters—supports a range of plantlife, most commonly species found in Mediterranean ecosystems.
Throughout her walks, Lin encourages participants to engage directly with their surroundings. Instead of relying on difficult terms and fast-paced movement, Lin asks group members to describe what they see: leaf shapes, textures, and patterns. As a participant pointed out the circular leaves and star-shaped flowers of a nearby plant, Lin builds on that observation, noting additional features like bifurcated thorns.
“A lot of this stuff is just through observation,” she said. “You can read books, but at the end of the day, going out and really looking for yourself is more effective.”
Lin’s walks move between different plants in the area. Each plant is a lesson not only in identification but also in caution. At one stop, Lin introduces the Natal Plum, a common ornamental plant found on roadsides. While its fruit is edible when ripe, the rest of the plant can be toxic.
“I’m going to ask that you don’t touch this one,” she told the group, pointing out its thorns and sticky sap. “The fruit is the only edible part.”
Safety, Lin emphasized, is a key part of foraging. Misidentification or improper timing—such as eating unripe fruit—can lead to illness. Sometimes the risk can be severe.
When Lin forages, she holds a broad environmental outlook. Instead of encouraging the harvesting of native plants, she focuses on non-native species, which she says can be removed without harming local ecosystems.
“We want to remove them from the environment so that we can help native plants thrive,” she explained. “If people want to pick natives, then they should grow them.”
Her approach spotlights an ongoing debate within foraging communities about sustainability. Lin forages through mindfulness and ecological awareness.
Lin points out subtle differences between plants in the walk. Even trees of the same species, she tells us, can vary depending on sunlight, water, and surrounding conditions. “They’re like sisters,” she said. “They’re not clones of each other.” Participants are shown how versatile plants can be: they can be used for teas and dyes, balms and decorations. Lin notes that observation is key when understanding how a plant adapts to its environment, which reveals its multiple uses.
The walks take place in parks and public spaces across the city with an aim to make foraging more accessible. When asked where the best place to forage is, Lin explained it’s the place most accessible to you. Not only do you reduce your carbon footprint, but you are also able to build connections with people around you.
Lin also explained how you reclaim a concept called a “third space,” which dismantles the physical boundaries we use in society and acknowledges the space around us.
“Instead of thinking of divisions like ‘that’s their yard, and this is my yard,’ how about seeing it as an opportunity to meet someone in your community?”
Offering to weed lawns or picking extra fruits in a neighbor’s yard fosters understanding and builds relationships, while ultimately supporting your local ecosystem, Lin said.
What began as an ordinary park stroll became a stroll of significance. Plants typically overlooked are recontextualized as sources of food, material, and knowledge.
For Lin, that shift in perspective is central to her work. Her goal is not only to teach people what they can forage, but to change how they see the environment around them.
“A lot of it is just stopping and paying attention,” she said.
