![]() When you see a banana, everything in your brain and body says, confidently and certainly, “That’s a banana.” That’s how sure you need to feel about a plant before you eat it. Samuel Thayer, the author of everyone’s favorite foraging books, offers a simple, effective test. Step back and take in the bigger picture of your environment before gathering food. Is the plant growing in a place you feel safe eating from? You want to avoid environmental factors like chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, contaminated water, and runoff. A plant can be common in one place and rare in another, so it’s good practice to check its status in each locale. You should also consider the plant’s overall abundance in an area before you decide to harvest there. Ask Again.Īsk permission from the place itself, by way of observing and ensuring that harvesting there won’t have a negative impact. ![]() Be gracious with the landowner or managing entity no matter their response. Our public lands, state lands, and land trusts all have different regulations, so it’s best to ask regarding each individual parcel. Ask Permission.īefore you collect plants on any land that you don’t own, always ask permission. The time spent observing is often more fulfilling than the meal we go out hoping for, and when it does come time to eat, it tastes that much better. ![]() Most of what you need to know about a plant (but not a fungus!) can be learned through direct observation. Observe the plants from afar, up close, with your fingers, and with your nose, for a year, for a lifetime, in books, in the field, in the winter, and every other way you can think of. This is easier said than done when you’re hungry, but a practice of foraging responsibly can only be built on a foundation of direct observation. Observe constantly and without an agenda. Calibrate your internal compass toward the greatest good, and get regular tune-ups. Ethics are what you do when no one else is watching. This should not inspire a Wild West attitude but, instead, impeccable discipline. Be your own compass.įoraging is a largely unregulated activity (for now). Equipped with the following guidelines, a few quality books and teachers, and your own good old-fashioned instincts, you’ll be bringing home the berries in no time. That can seem daunting, but it’s better to engage with curiosity rather than freeze in fear. Rules can make us feel safe, but when dealing with the boundless, living world, sometimes there aren’t any.
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