How to Get a Free Dinner

He is famished. He hasn't shaved his bushy, gray beard in ages. A tan safari hat, khaki explorer jacket and cargo pants crammed with hidden supplies protect him from the elements.

In his backpack, he has a full water bottle, a magnifying glass and a guide for identifying wild edible plants. He is prepared to forage and survive in the wilderness known as Central Park.

"Wildman" Steve Brill, the top epicurean eater of New York City's wildlife, leads expeditions though the city's public parks and shows visitors how to find and identify the best naturally growing plants - both tasty and toxic.

Brill, who is in his 21st year guiding tours, said he guides 1,440 people through the parks each year on 96 public tours and 150 private ones. About half of the tours include college students.

For those from NYU, Brill is the guy to talk to when the Declining Dollars run out. He'll show you where to find free munchies like apples, ginger, mustard, garlic and walnuts, so you don't have to smuggle them out of dining halls.

Perhaps you don't want to survive only on what's available in the park, but in the very least, these munchables will jazz up a dreary bowl of Ramen noodles.

Brill, who was born and raised in Queens, offers inexpensive excursions year-round at more than 50 locations throughout the city. He has a deep-rooted passion for plants and an extreme enthusiasm for nature. His purpose, he said, is to give people an awareness and appreciation for renewable resources and to educate them on preserving the environment.

Brill opened his tour with a brief introduction to himself and the park, reminding all within earshot that his books are available for purchase and may be useful on the tour. "Ask questions," he said. "If I don't know the answer, I'll make them up."

As the tour began, he immediately pointed to an early-autumn plant, identifying it as a white snakeroot. He noted its beauty but warned that it is deadly if ingested.

"It reminds me of my ex-girlfriend," he said, smiling.

The tours, which last about four hours, include a bring-your-own and eat-what-you-find lunch break, not to mention lots of off-the-bush sampling.

Not all the parks are good for scavenging, he said. Washington Square Park has edible ginkgo nuts, dandelions and plantains, but its proximity to cars makes its plants potentially unsafe. The same goes for Union Square Park.

But for a quick snack between classes, you're in luck. Peter Schnell, an acupuncturist who regularly tours with Brill, said that plenty of yummy garden treats grow in the East Village.

Schnell hunts for various berries and wild cooking mushrooms in Tompkins Square Park, and scrumptious weeds like burdock root and wild leeks in East River Park.

"You really have to try things," Schnell said. "They taste really good, and you realize it isn't all yucky stuff." Living in the city, people distance themselves from the environment, Schnell said, but Brill's tours are a much-needed reminder of nature's existence.

But is this scrounging legal? "Yes and no," Brill said. "It's kind of a gray area." Technically, the city Department of Parks and Recreation forbids visitors from removing vegetation.

Seventeen years ago, undercover park rangers arrested Brill for munching on a dandelion while leading a tour. He called as many newspapers and TV stations he could, and soon his case was known nationwide.

At his court hearing, he actually served his "Wildman's Five-Boro Salad," made of local veggies, to the press. Not only did the city drop the charges, but it also later hired him to guide edible walking tours.

He worked for the city for four years but left and became an independent guide when a new, "anti-environmental administration" took over, he said.

Brill earned a psychology degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1971. He then moved back home where he worked as a chef, caterer and culinary teacher.

While out for a stroll in Queens, Brill spotted some Greek women picking grape leaves on the side of the road. He tried to ask what they were doing, but they didn't speak English. "It was all Greek to me," he joked.

Intrigued, he bought a field guide and went plant hunting.

There are plenty of things in the parks that are poisonous, Brill said, so it is extremely important to either snack with an expert or invest in a book. And don't ask him how the squirrels taste: He's a vegetarian.