a guide to ethical foraging

There is, or should always be, a strong code of ethics to any wildcrafting and foraging to ensure the abundance and health of our ecosystems. We are as much part of the land as the “weeds” someone deemed useless. The natural balance is threatened by over-harvesting practices, invasive and non-native species and not respecting the land’s boundaries in general. That this isn’t news, should come as no surprise. The respect and reciprocity that once was, no longer is, especially in the western world where we forgot our ancestors earth-honoring practices a long long time ago.

What we deem “sustainable” might be hurting the earth in reality. I read a lot of posts and rules about wildcrafting on social media and I can’t say that I agree with any of them.

Some say don’t harvest anything ever. Some speak only of the rules that apply to their own safety. Some say don’t take more than 10% of whatever you can find while foraging. Now I want to ask you, do you think that is actually sustainable? What if others show up after you and follow the same rule? When will it end?

The land is here for us, yes. It wants to know us, yes. It wants to sustain us, absolutely. But, it is important to note that the time has changed and what might have once been a lush field of wildlfowers and herbs, has now fallen victim to monoculture crops, toxic fertilizers, poor soil, invasive species, pollution and overharvesting.

Take wild garlic as an example. Its abundance long gone, it is now an endangered plant. It takes years to form seeds and reproduce. It’s drowned by invasive plants such as garlic mustard (which ironically you could harvest instead for a similar culinary experience). Yet, there as baskets upon baskets filled with its tasty leaves on the internet. There is no way to wildcraft for wild garlic in a responsible way unless you’ve spent years getting to know your local area and observed the plants and their environment. Even then, a handful is plenty. Whereas you could never over-harvest garlic mustard. That plant is incredibly invasive and you would actually do most places a favour in cutting it down or harvesting a lot to give other plants the space to grow. Different rules apply to different areas and plants.

The land wants to take care of you.

While that is true and I wholeheartedly believe in that, there are two sides to this relationship. I don’t appreciate the mentality of thinking something is ours to take. There were times when we used to rely on today’s so called weeds as a food source after the winter emptied our larders and I’d argue that to this day there are many cultures and places around the world that (need to) do that. We’ve grown so fond of our supermarkets, manicured lawns, new found convinience and exotic produce that we forgot about our plant allies right outside of our door step and in our (once productive) gardens. Buying healthy food is a privilege and prices have sky rocketed in the last years that even well off households feel it in their wallets. Yet, our gardens are stripped of nature’s food and medicine, replaced with toxic and non native shrubs and ornamental flowers that do nothing for us or the wild life. Wild fields turned into concrete deserts, nourishing “weeds” sprayed into oblivion; productive little vegetable gardens and fruit trees replaced by stone “gardens” and lawn. There is another way.

Things to keep in mind.

The best place to start is in your own garden or local area.

If you have your own garden, it’s a great place to start looking out for common weeds and see what pops up if you leave some areas be for a few weeks or months (a great practice in general). If not, try to find something in your local area or a little outside of the city if you live in one.

Observe and take notes before harvesting anything. What grows here during the seasons? How much? Do other people wildcraft here?

Stay away from busy roads and don’t forage in any area that might be sprayed or otherwise contaminated.

Don’t harvest endangered species.

Communicate with the plants & ask for permission before taking anything.

Make sure to identiy any plants 100% correctly. Safety first.

Do not dig up roots and leave most of the plant alone.

Do not overharvest. Take one leaf or flower of every 5-10 plants.

Tread gently. Tend to the plants and fields, collect trash if you find some. When you leave, it shouldn’t look like you’ve even been there.