![\"A](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/timesofsandiego.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0.forage1.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>Environmentalist Robin Greenfield tends to his compost at home. (Photo courtesy of Robin Greenfield)<\/p>\nNot every person who adopts a healthy diet undergoes the culinary awakening that has thrust Robin Greenfield into the national spotlight.<\/p>\n
Greenfield, 39, is an extreme forager. He eats strictly off the land, which includes at times cooking deer killed roadside by cars. <\/p>\n
Yet his lifestyle changes extend far beyond his diet. His largely demonetized life is devoid of credit cards and bank accounts. He doesn\u2019t own a cell phone, although he possesses a computer for managing speaking engagements and educational foraging lessons that he conducts throughout the country.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done a lot of work to minimize my use of technology,\u201d he said while en route to San Diego as part of his West Coast tour focusing on a 12-month foraging project<\/a> he began Oct. 9. (A friend from his native Wisconsin offered to drive him here and furnished him with a He travels with a pantry of dehydrated foods that he \u201charvests along the way,\u201d as well as a fishing pole and an Instant Pot for cooking and canning animal proteins. His larder also includes at any given time several varieties of mushrooms, berries, wild onions, mustard greens, seaweed, and even grubs that reside in acorns and chestnuts. Restaurants and grocery stores are off limits during his yearlong forage.<\/p>\n Before becoming a self-professed \u201cearth servant,\u201d Greenfield created a marketing company while living in Ocean Beach from 2011 to 2016. He enjoyed surfing and would refuel on hot dogs, Little Caesars Pizza and ice cream cones from McDonald\u2019s, which he \u201cI had a goal of becoming a millionaire by the age of 30. But then something happened,\u201d he explained. \u201cI started watching documentaries and reading books about how we are living in destructive ways to the planet. So I decided to get out of the rat race and start living in harmony with the earth.\u201d <\/p>\n Greenfield noted that his newfound philosophy, which became centered around eating sustainably and organically, had led him to discovering the People\u2019s Food Co-Op in Ocean Beach while also getting involved in community gardens.<\/p>\n \u201cSan Diego was a big part of my transformation. It was a great place to break free from societal norms.\u201d<\/p>\n He then traveled globally for two years and authored several books under such titles as After living in a couple of other U.S. cities, including Orlando, Florida, he returned to \u201cMint makes life wonderful and it helps with upset stomachs. I love pineapple weed for relaxation and sleep. And I like to make tea from dandelion roots, which is a liver detox and helps with digestion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n When asked what foods can be found on foraging outings within San Diego County, Greenfield cited an abundance of citrus, nasturtiums, wild mustard greens and guava.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are easy plants to start with in San Diego,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n With the help of his YouTube videos about foraging, Greenfield has attracted high levels of publicity from media outlets<\/a> such as The Washington Post, National Public Radio, The Guardian, People magazine and others. Yet he insists that his stardom as an adventurous environmentalist \u201cisn\u2019t for money.\u201d<\/p>\n He claims to live below the poverty line with an average annual income of $11,000, which is derived from conducting foraging and compost classes and through modest financial support.<\/p>\n When asked how he affords lodging while visiting nearly 25 states on his foraging tour, he replied: \u201cI stay with friends and colleagues and at the homes of people who follow me online. I also camp and sometimes sleep in parks.\u201d<\/p>\n Greenfield\u2019s appearances in San Diego will begin with a lecture about the foraging project from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday at La Jolla\u2019s Trilogy Sanctuary. It will be followed by a full-day foraging workshop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday at Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center in National City.<\/p>\n
cell phone to speak to Times of San Diego.)<\/p>\n
particularly loved.<\/p>\n<\/a>Robin Greenfield foraging bolete mushrooms
in Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Robin Greenfield) <\/p>\n
\u201cDude Making a Difference\u201d and \u201cFood Freedom: A Year of Growing and Foraging 100 Percent of My Food and Why It Matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wisconsin and settled in a tiny off-the-grid home that he calls The Hermitage, where he lives alone. As a naturalist, he turns to herbs for his medicinal needs.<\/p>\n