now—afterall we aren’t eating anything right now; let’s relax and talk about the fascinating world of foraging. Before we had long rows upon rows


of cultivated gardens, before Europeans decided it was smarter to rip out any native vegetation, turn up the soil then replant with non-native, drought ridden crops to painstakingly toil over, humans foraged for our food. And humans did cultivate wild vegetation in a way that complemented nature, not against it. If something grows naturally, think about it, it means it is NATURAL and won’t need fertilizer and weed killer and tending and watering and babying….. We also ate what was in season be-


cause refrigeration was not really an op- tion. There was the option of drying foods and of course later, canning for storage and then springhouses. Most of what we know of foraging now is what little has been passed down from the American Indian (Native Americans, First Nations). Much of their knowledge from the Eastern part of the U.S. has been erased, but thank- fully, the Western U.S. was settled a bit slower so we are fortunate enough to have some of the the old ways and their exten- sive knowledge. (used with permission, Nature’s Garden, Samuel Thayer) Elizabeth Morgan owns Dandelion Herb and Soap Shop in Germanton, NC and is a local herbalist apothecary—one of only four in the entire state of North Carolina. Having the added designation of apothecary means she makes tinctures and herbal medicines with knowledge passed down from centuries of Native American teach- ings. Elizabeth shared that modern phar- maceutical companies’ medicines are a product of original natural plant medi- cines, in synthetic form. She also encour- ages new foragers to be sure to know how to collect the plant/herb etc. in a way that does not kill or harm future production of the plant. She suggests these items to begin your foraging journey:


1. Guidebooks to cross reference: The Herbal Medicine Makers Handbook, Botany in a Day, Samuel Thayer’s books (preferably black and white and color illustrated), Foraging and Feasting, a Field Guide to Wild Food by Dina Falconi


2. A jeweler’s loop 3. Start with a knowledgeable person and


just start walking with them in your yard, in the woods etc.


Why would anyone be interested in


foraging? Foraging has numerous benefi ts such as, giving you a reason to get into nature, creating a deep bond with the natural world, and it can be very exciting to hunt for plants and fi nd them! The food is delicious, pesticide free, many times has a much higher vitamin/nutrition content, and costs zero. Seasonal buying which can be loosely considered a type of foraging, helps support local farmers, reduces trans- portation costs, refrigeration costs, tastes better, is less expensive, has less irradia- tion, avoids overseas contaminants, sup- ports our bodies' natural needs with the seasons, and is overall more environmen- tally friendly. (www.rebootwithjoe.com)


How do you get started in foraging?


According to Eric, there are certain rules you do want to heed, and the best way to get started is to go out into the woods with someone who knows what they are doing, someone who regularly forages and eats what they forage. Start with simple plants that do not have poisonous lookalikes. Rule #1 is to always know the plant 100% and have zero doubts about any part of it and cross check with several references. Eric says over the years he has found guidebooks with incorrect information in it so only use guidebooks that are a very trustworthy source, but no matter what, cross check with several references before making an identifi cation. One of his favorite guidebooks is: The


Forager’s Harvest, a Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer. Samuel Thayer is one of the foremost experts on the subject and he has a follow up book called: Na-


ture’s Garden, a Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants that has another entire set of plants he focuses on. He goes into great depth about each plant and explains every part of it. Foraging can entail the leaves, the stem, the roots, the fl ower, the seeds and or nuts. Some parts of the plant may be poisonous while other parts are a delicacy. Some plants may be edible in certain stages of growth but poisonous in other stages. His books are much more than just a visual identifi cation guide. He says that his message is, “wild food is extremely healthy, tasty, and fun.” Eric also uses Wildfl owers of North


Carolina by William S. Justice, C. Ritchie Bell and Anne H. Lindsey, as well as The Basic Essentials of Edible Wild Plants and Useful Herbs by Jim Meuninck. Some of the rules Eric cites that he lives by when foraging:


• don’t pick anything that looks like parsley


• don’t eat anything with a milky sap • avoid anything that smells like almonds


• don’t eat anything you cannot 100% verify or have an expert verify defi ni- tively


• don’t forage in known pesticide areas


• be careful of plants in water (know the water supply) • study what is NOT EDIBLE


• conduct an edibility test if in a sur- vival situation


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