If you’re foraging out in the wild, there are some things that you need to keep in mind. Don’t simply run outdoors and start randomly pulling up plants, mushrooms, and weeds. You need to have a process and determine how you’ll approach foraging to get the best yield for all your efforts. We’ll help you get prepared in our beginner’s guide to foraging for food in the wild. Read on for some helpful tips!
Be Cautious
Before you start touching a plant, and especially before you begin consuming it, you have to know what that plant is. This is the case whether you’re looking for edible plants or harvesting mushroom spores for propagation. Knowledge is essential. To hone this skill, you can go on “plant walks” with someone who knows the lay of the land. You can also go on certain websites that give you geographically specific plant catalogs for your location. You can also get paper field guidebooks for your reference in the future. Taking these steps helps ensure you stay safe while foraging.
Know the Lay of the Land
Study hard when planning where you want to forage. After learning what’s poisonous and what’s edible, determine where what you want to harvest grows. Additionally, you’ll want to avoid places around factories, roads, golf courses, and places where soil and water have contamination problems. Essentially, focus on foraging in areas that are off-trail and away from human activity.
Harvest Responsibly
The final important aspect of our beginner’s guide to foraging for food in the wild is harvesting responsibly. This is huge because a lot of people overharvest, causing a form of deforestation on the forest floor. To avoid this, you must research certain issues. What are the local land management guidelines? Are there restrictions to where you can harvest or harvesting limits?
Take only what you need, and understand that other people may also want to forage. Keep them in mind. Travel on logs and rocks and try not to trample other flora. Ultimately, you should seek to be light-footed in these areas and leave no trace. If you follow these rules, you’ll be safely foraging in no time!