I recently stood amid a crowd of 250 food bloggers. When keynote speaker Morgan Spurlock asked us what we felt were the growing trends in food writing, I boldly raised my hand and asserted, “Foraging!” I mentioned my friend Hank Shaw’s belief that we humans innately desire to hunt for more than just a bargain when we search for our food; that we want to gather it from someplace more satisfying than a supermarket. Yet, as the words tumbled from my mouth, and later, fell repeatedly from the mouths of presenters at the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle, I had to ask myself, “Who am I to talk about foraging?”

Have I mentioned that I’m new to foraging? Sure, I grew up hunting morels and wild blackberries. Who hasn’t? And sure, this summer I harvested pounds of wild elderberries to make juice. But I’m no Hank Shaw. I can’t find wild beach peas or thistle. My foraging palette is pretty narrow.

Further reason to doubt myself comes from a hike last weekend. Emboldened by several recent—successful—foraging trips, I grabbed some random berries I found growing on a nearby bush. I had no idea what they were, but they looked pretty! I had enough sense not to eat them. Nonetheless, I gathered and tossed the shiny black beads into a plastic baggie, hoping to positively identify them later, and possibly enjoy a new, tasty snack.

Upon returning home, I reached out immediately to Hank with my new berry photos. I was so hopeful! I had dreams of pies and scones. But Hank’s reply put a grinding halt to my scheming. “They sure look like nightshade,” he wrote.

Foiled!

With a heavy heart, I tossed my hard-won berries into the trash. So much for my grand foraging plans.

But I’m not giving up yet. I still believe this a food trend on the rise (made cool by guys like Hank Shaw), and one in which I plan to take part. I need to embrace what seasoned foragers like Hank know: use a guidebook! Wiser hunters have passed through those forests before me. I think I’d better let them be my guide.

P.S. If you can positively identify these berries, let me know! My other rookie mistake: I forgot to take a photo of the entire plant for help in later identifying the berries. Oops!