Lawrence County native ‘Appalachian Forager’ talks Tik Tok fame

LOWMANSVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) - If you get on Tik Tok, you might know Lawrence County native Whitney Johnson, just under a different name.

“Very first video I put up was like an intro thing that’s like ‘Hey, my name’s Whitney and I get plants and mushrooms and cook fish and cook like your mamaw, and this is what I do,’ and it just like blew up,” Johnson said.

Now known as “Appalachian Forager” on the social media platform, Whitney Johnson has racked up over 700,000 followers and counting.

Her main food of choice is mushrooms, but she doesn’t stop there.

“Whether it be food, or like, you know I make tinctures and stuff for like wellness. I’ll show people how to preserve them, like, dry them, freeze them, and I try to do it as often as possible,” she said.

Locals are a big fan of her recipes too.

“You know, going into Walmart now, you get a lot of people that’s like ‘Do I know you?’ And I’m like, ‘Depends on who you think I am.’ And they’ll be like ‘Mushrooms?’ And I’ll be like ‘Yeah!’” she said.

While she never guessed Tik Tok would be her way to go big, Whitney Johnson’s personality has become a perfect fit.

“I’m kind of a ham, if you can’t tell from the videos. Like, I like to talk to people. I love to meet people. So, it’s really cool to meet these people and hear how my videos have influenced them to get out there and do things, or like inspired them to try things they’ve never done,” she said.

Johnson also said exploring the outdoors for plants and mushrooms has been the best medicine for her mental health.

Copyright 2023 WYMT. All rights reserved.