5 considerations for the budding wildcrafter
One of my favorite anticapitalist activities is wildcrafting.
This word “wildcrafting” has different associations, but broken down it refers to remembered and practiced skills of tending the wilds. When we wildcraft, we release the colonial mindsets of independence and human dominance. Rather than simply extracting from the land, we can practice an Honorable Harvest that can contribute to a future of many species. Wildcrafting includes foraging for food, as well as gathering other materials for daily life.
Image above: hand holding fresh seeds of milk thistle - a weedy plant friend
Here are 5 guidelines that set a strong foundation for wildcrafting:
Do your research. These days there’s so much information out there on foraging, plant identification, local ecology, and ethnobotany. I’ve linked some of my favorites below, and the library is also a great place to start! Rather than just going out and harvesting at random, first take some time to gather a few resources to cross-reference and ground yourself in what you can expect from your region and season. Research can also include learning about different areas you might go to forage. For example, in urban areas many parks and parkways are subject to a seasonal spray of pesticides and herbicides.
Learn lookalikes. Our senses sharpen with practice, but even seasoned wildcrafters risk misidentification. Before harvesting (or even touching, if you can help it) a plant, fungus, or alga, learn about potential lookalikes growing in the same area. It helps to have a friend or a foraging group to confirm your finds in community; and as you grow confident in your skills, be that friend for others! In some cases misidentification can lead to toxicity or death, and on a larger scale can cause the improper or over-harvesting of multiple species, like in the case of black cohosh.
Start with 1 plant, or start with the “weeds”. Weeds are not a scientific classification. The term “weed” refers to plants who are common, unwanted, and grow quickly, but they tend to have interesting stories to share with us. Many foragers (and herbalists) start off in the garden with edible weeds, getting curious about the plants who grow between the seeds they sow. So you might start your wildcrafting journey with the plant you always see around. And who knows? The number of things you can do with a wild grape vine might occupy you for a while.
Learn how to save seeds. Saving a few seeds of native plants at the end of the growing season can be a way to harvest for the future by supporting biodiversity and sustain cultural foodways in an increasing unstable climate. Look into practices for collecting and storing seeds, support native seed savers, and connect with seed libraries in your area. Never take all the seeds however, as native plant seeds are an important food source for many birds through the winter.
When in doubt, leave it out. It can be tempting to harvest when the plants are right in front of you! But if you still feel unsure about your ID or the location you’re harvesting from, my rule of thumb is to leave the plants be and take some reference photos for later. If they are perennial and abundant, it’s likely they’ll be back around this time and place next year! Learning the landscape takes time.
There are many more things to consider, and I encourage you to check out the resources below to go further! Whether you harvest fibrous stems for weaving, fallen nuts for making ink, or berries for your morning oatmeal, wildcrafting can be a way to live more seasonally and connect with your area in a deep and dynamic way.
Image above: muscadine vines crawling across the forest floor
Seasonal foraging
Early summer food foraging tends to focus on leaves and flowers, with the later summer focused on flowers and fruit! Here’s a non-exhaustive list of common plants who grow in a variety of areas including backyards, gardens, and parking lots - depending on your region, you might find any number of these plants growing nearby right now.
Leaves and/or flowers: Mints, purslane, linden, motherwort, wild roses, yarrow, plantain, st. john’s wort/hypericum, mugwort, comfrey, feverfew, pineappleweed (AKA wild chamomile), self-heal, ground ivy, dandelion, conifer needles, goldenrod
Flowers only: Elderflowers, mullein (leaves can be harvested too, but once in bloom I prefer to just harvest flowers), queen anne’s lace, honeysuckle, mimosa, calendula (some also harvest leaf for iodine content), daylily
Berries: Strawberry, juneberry, blueberry, mulberry, raspberry, blackberry, bilberry
Resources:
Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification by Thomas J. Elpel
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Forager’s Harvest by Samuel Thayer
Local foraging groups on social media are a great resource!