The Do’s and Don’ts for Spring Foraging

The air is warmer, the sun is shining more, and many of the most potent and powerful plants around us are growing and blooming. Many of us are ready to get out there and start foraging for either food or medicine. Popular plants for spring foraging in North America include;

*Chickweed Stellaria media *Creeping Charlie Glechoma hederacea *Purple Dead Nettles Lamium purpureum *Lamb’s Quarters Chenopodium album *Cleavers Galium aparine *Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolata *Stinging Nettles Urtica diocia *Dandelion Taraxacum officinale *Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica *Violets Viola spp. *Daylily Hemerocallis fulva *Creasy Greens Barbarea verna *Roses Rosa spp.

Foraging can enrich your life in countless ways but there are a few do’s and don’ts that should be followed to ensure you are safely, ethically, and respectfully harvesting from our plant friends to create medicine or enjoy as a tasty addition to your diet.

Foraging Don’ts

1. Do not harvest something if you are not 150% sure of your identification. There are many DEADLY POISONOUS plants that resemble the above mentioned flora and one wrong step, or careless ID could spell disaster. Invest in a good field guide for your area, get to know the poisonous plants in your area, and if you are not absolutely sure you have the ID right- DO NOT HARVEST.

2. There are a handful of areas you NEVER want to forage in and those include: *Near roadways *Near buildings and foundations *Near potentially polluted rivers, creeks, or lakes *Anywhere pesticides are sprayed *On Tribal lands without invitation and permission

3. It can be tempting if you stumble across a huge patch of plants to harvest them all or up root the entire plant. You NEVER want to over harvest.Take only what you need and be sure you harvest at a time and in a way that the plant can continue to grow and reproduce.

Foraging Do’s

1. Get a good field guide, get a plant ID app, and most importantly learn and get to know your local poisonous plants before you forage for ANYTHING. Caution and doing your due diligence first will save your life.

2. Ask permission. This does not just apply to asking for permission to forage on any land you do not “own”, which you absolutely should do, this goes deeper. Before foraging and harvesting from a plant- stop, take a breath, thank the land and ask the plant for permission to harvest. This is a relationship you are developing with the plants, you would not walk up to someone and take something from them without asking first- do not do it to the plants that are willing to share their magic with us either.

3. You should also leave a small offering as a thank you to the plants for sharing their power and magic with you. This can be some water, some hair, a compost tea- whatever feels right to you in the moment.

4. Sustainable foraging means you never over harvest and it means that you familiarize yourself with the endangered plants in your area and you do not harvest from their populations. You should also familiarize yourself with the sacred plants in your area to the indigenous people and ensure you do not harvest anything sacred.

Get out there, get wild, be safe, and enjoy foraging for some delicious and magical food and medicine