Foraging can be a fun and delicious activity to indulge in while hiking.

It’s also a great way to connect to the whenua and learn about edible plants.

(When foraging, be sure to always correctly identify then responsibly collect plants away from busy roads and pollution.)

Though this recipe calls for foraged greens, if you cannot harvest on your hike you can still make a simple olive tapenade. It goes well with cheese and crackers, or in pasta, rice, quesadillas or wraps. Add foraged greens to create your own variations.

Profile
Prep time 10min
Serves Two, as a sauce or snack
Cost $2.50

Ingredients
1 pouch pitted green olives with herbs and garlic (70g)
⅓ cup foraged greens
1 clove garlic (optional)
Some foraged greens that you can use include: kawakawa leaves, nasturtium flowers, leaves and pods, young dandelion greens and petals, onion weed stems and flowers, watercress, wild fennel and chickweed. The foraged greens you’ll find will vary depending on where you’re hiking, so be sure to investigate before you head out.

Method
This recipe is pretty simple to put together. Just finely chop or crush ingredients together until you have a chunky consistency. And if you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a clean rock or just finely dice the ingredients.

Wild greens make a lovely tapenade for your crackers, wraps or pasta.