This Master Forager Wants You to Love the Weeds in Your Garden

Tama Matsuoka Wong, a lawyer turned pro forager, makes a case for a gentler approach to tending the land. You'll reap an unexpected bounty—for less work.

Tama Matsuoka Wong walks through the meadow outside her New Jersey home. Seeing herself as a steward of the land, she lightly manages the meadow to nurture native plants and discourage invasive ones.Ngoc Minh Ngo

The large swarm of insects buzzing in and out of the roof of her rural New Jersey home had Tama Matsuoka Wong concerned. Her 93-year-old father liked to sit outside in his wheelchair—were these dangerous hornets, yellowjackets, or wasps?

No, a friend told her, after watching the insects fly. Just honeybees.