Foraging For Food Guidelines

I have recently started to gather some of my food from nature. This is due in part to finances and partly because we are trying to keep chemically laden foods out of our diet.

Having been a "city" girl all of my life, I was never taught anything about wild foods in nature so it took a bit of research to figure things out. If they had a book called 'Foraging for Dummies' I'd probably buy it, but seeing as how there wasn't much interst in that type of book apparently (none have been published yet that I know of) I was forced to do a bit of work. I gleaned information from a variety of places including my meager experiences, small tidbits in books, and a few scant articles on the internet. I thought I would write those lessons down here on the internet to make others like me have an easier time figuring this old seemingly long forgotten art out.

1. If you don't know what it is, don't eat it.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. Some animals (or bees!) may live nearby and feel protective of their home.
3. Know what parts of the plant are edible and which parts aren't.
4. When trying something new, try it in moderation... you know, like the way you introduced your babies to new foods. Some foods may not agree with you.
5. Look in places that are not polluted or near busy road ways for safety's sake.
6. Leave some food for the wildlife and future plant making. We must keep nature in mind while we are also trying to feed ourselves and our families.
7. Do not harvest on private land without the owner's permission. Remember that just because they give you permission once does not mean you get unlimited access to their property.
8. Always bring a way to carry your treasures home with you without damaging it.
9. Havest plants when they are fully mature and ready for picking. Know what you are doing or you may become ill.
10. Some wild plants must be processed before eating. Know which plants these are and find out proper techniques for doing so.
11. If harvesting on public land, know the rules and follow them.

I've been working on harvesting some things from nature the last couple of months. I will share specific information that I have found about each thing at a later date. The rules above apply to pretty much anything that you may find.

Thank you for stopping by. Please leave me a message and a backlink. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Cindy