Foraging for food, a practice that sustained early humans and their ancestors until they developed agricultural practices some 12,000 years ago, is quietly gaining popularity, driven by environmental concerns, economic pressures and a desire to reconnect with nature.

The search for wild mushrooms, edible plants, shellfish and seaweed has grown more popular in recent years as people share triumphs and knowledge on social media and experienced foragers offer training on safe and sustainable practices to novices.

Some creative chefs are also helping to spark interest in foraging as they expose patrons to exotic and surprisingly tasteful ingredients found locally.

Evan Mallett is a chef, author, forager and owner of the Black Trumpet Bistro in the New Hampshire city of Portsmouth, a popular historic New England destination known for its colonial-era architecture, thriving arts scene and the site of the oldest continuously operating U.S. naval shipyard.

"Foraging is an ancient concept. Our culture has moved far away from foraging and is fortunately coming back. Into it now, I see a trend in foraging that more and more people are finding wild ingredients for home use and in restaurants, and not just for food, but also for medicinal purposes," Mallett said during a break from sorting honey mushrooms, wild grapes, autumn olives, sweet ferns, spruce tips, elderberry and other foraged ingredients.

The growth of the farm-to-table movement, which promotes serving local foods at restaurants, cafeterias and dining rooms, has heightened awareness of local food sources and their foraging potential.

This shift has not been lost on chefs like Mallett, who turn to foraged ingredients to create dishes with lesser environmental impact while fostering emotional connections with diners.

Seventy miles south in Wenham, Massachusetts, 70-year-old foraging instructor Iris Phoebe Weaver takes people on nature walks that transform participants' relationships with their surroundings.

Her foraging classes reveal edible possibilities in plants most consider weeds.

"And the reason why I think it's still important today is for a couple of reasons. One is it really helps people connect with where they're living, with the land around them, and helps them connect with their environment and feel that they are part of the living world and we are so deprived of connection with nature these days. It's a really easy, simple way to do it. It's also a way to get food," Weaver explained during a recent nature walk where she demonstrated harvesting techniques for dandelions and violet flowers.

The culinary results can be transformative.

At Black Trumpet, diners experience flavors rarely found in conventional restaurants, as former chef and current patron Brian Lamora discovered.

"So, the taste of the foraging foods was quite unique, just for the simple fact that there's an earthiness in a body to all of it, especially the mushrooms that came out with that nice lemon zest and, I forget, what was in the tomatoes? Sweet fern! Yeah, glazed in sweet fern. And that's something you normally don't see on a menu typically. You know, on restaurants it's a lot of, you know, traditional cooking, so seeing something so unique like that, it's delicious first and foremost and should be more of this at restaurants," Lamora said after sampling Mallett's creations.

Beyond novelty, the culinary treasure hunt known as foraging serves practical ecological purposes.

Mallett advocates harvesting invasive species as both a food source and environmental management strategy, turning ecological problems into culinary opportunities.

"So, sometimes we forage food to appreciate it and know that that's part of our environment around us, and then sometimes we forage food to eradicate it, and that's also okay. In fact, I would argue it might be even more important," he said after processing autumn olive berries and wild grapes, both non-native species that have proliferated across New England landscapes.

The accessibility of foraging appeals to many, but Mallett says its broader benefits go beyond just gathering food.

"Foraging, it can be a very Zen activity, and for that reason I think foraging can be for everybody," he said.

The bounty extends beyond food.

Foraged plans can be used in savory dishes like salads, soups and jams – adding unique textures and flavors to familiar concoctions.

Some wild plants also have medicinal properties, making them useful as remedies for various ailments.

Some plant species can also be harvested for crafts and fibers.

Edible plants and fungi await those with the knowledge to identify them safely in diverse locations, ranging from urban lots to suburban yards to rural forests.

Still, Mallett says using foraged ingredients requires extensive knowledge and caution.

Weaver agreed.

Her approach to safety is uncompromising.

"I do have a rule, when in doubt, don't. So, if you're not sure if it can be eaten, if you are not sure you can put it in your mouth or put it on your skin or pick it, just don't! There are times when that will really serve you well and keep you from getting sick. There are time when it will keep you from having a useful plant, but that's okay," Weaver said.

Foragers should also be aware that, in the United States, it is illegal to forage on private property without the landowner's permission.

Many state and federal parks prohibit or limit foraging, so foragers must check local laws and regulations about where it is legal to gather plants and if a permit is required.

Foragers must also pay attention to cautionary and regulatory signs, particularly those warning against disturbing vegetation or indicating that pesticides have been applied.

For Mallett, the growth of foraging represents a growing awareness to resources that have always surrounded us but became invisible to modern eyes.

"There are also foods that we think might not be good for us, which are very healing and that's a cerebral act to learn and study. And as I said, experiment with all of those, you know, foreign ingredients that are all around us. And I say foreign because I think they've become foreign to our palates, they've became foreign to our restaurants and grocery stores, but they are ... many of them are very common and have great use. So, I'm glad to see that people are coming back to foraging again," Mallett said.

Foraging forces practitioners to become supremely attuned changing seasons and weather to take advantage of the seasonal bounty.

The practice transforms both landscape and palate, capturing the essence of the season in a single spoonful.

The appeal of modern-day foraging goes beyond mere sustenance or novelty.

Foraging satisfies something fundamental in human nature that modern food systems have lost, Lamora said.

"There's something primal about it that's also delicious. Being able to go and get your own food instead of buying it from a store or buying it, you know, in mass quantities and then creating something that's delicious, it just fills the soul," Lamora said.

M.J. Blanchette is a visual artists who hails from Kittery, Maine, and is now living in Puerto Rico.

She recently dined on sumptuous dishes that featured foraged ingredients at Black Trumpet during her annual Fall visit to New England.

Foraging, she said, is the logical next step in the evolution of conscious eating that began with the local food movement decades ago.

"I think it's similar to selecting items on a menu that are local for me, only it's maybe a level up, right? Because, like, you're using local farmers when you're selecting, you know, when you're getting local items like local tomatoes or pastured proteins from a certain area, and that's great. But foraged is, like, one step more, because that means somebody's, like, going into the woods and like collecting things that are just growing wild. And it's kind of ... it's cool, you know that nothing's been sprayed, nothing's necessarily planned. You might go out to look for chanterelle mushrooms and there aren't any. But so there's like, it is kind of special when you're ... when you get a dish with foraged food. It's, like, it's the extra effort and it's extra local," Blanchette said after sharing her foraged mushroom dish with one of her dinner companions.

AP Video shot by Rodrique Ngowi.