Meet Alexis Nikole Nelson, The Wildly Popular 'Black Forager'

The recipe for a wildly successful TikTok account — at least, for Alexis Nikole Nelson — is to post entirely about foraging.

Known on social media as "Black Forager", Nelson has drawn in more than 2 million followers. For those not familiar with the term, Nelson says foraging is essentially "a very fun way to say, I eat plants that do not belong to me and I teach other people how to do the same thing." The videos she posts showcase her collecting and cooking everything from acorns to yellow dandelions to dead man's fingers (AKA the seaweed codium fragile.)

But for Nelson, foraging goes beyond rummaging around in other peoples' shrubbery. It's a way to connect with African American and indigenous food traditions that many people were discouraged — or actively prevented — from accessing.

Our play cousins at TED Radio Hour . Their conversation, hosted by Manoush Zomorodi, has been edited and condensed for clarity.