The most important principle to practice when foraging plants in the wild
Foraging is a rugged way of saying, picked in the wild and I think it’s important to address how to do it so all benefit.
I’d also consider foraging as anything which is cut or collected from an untended place, for example the national forests or even private land. If your neighbor has an incredible flush of a particular plant or flower, you’d still follow a similar code.
When you forage, you have the great pleasure to walk in an unmanicured landscape. It’s where you may see and smell how plants, trees, and animals move in accordance with each other and in their own rhythm. You may notice what species naturally gravitate together and which ones are content in solitude. It’s a practice and lifestyle which can align your inner compass (the senses) to ensure a healthy return of that which you love.
Foraging provides food, wild mushrooms, herbal medicine, even raw materials for beauty products and textiles. Yet the act of foraging can be abused unless it’s approached with the following interconnected principles. Walk softly and with utmost respect.
Always leave more than a third. Most times I pick even less. I don’t want to take too much. I consider it a gift. Plus, what you’re picking isn’t just for you. It feeds the very ecosystem in which it grows, let alone countless birds, insects, microbes, etc. If I’m picking grasses, for example, or anything that is flowering or setting seed, I also make sure to scatter the seed upon my departure along with a prayer of thanks and gratitude.
Confidently identify. Don’t pick anything you aren’t certain about. Simply put, it’s dangerous. This supports the obvious health risk that could ensue if the wrong thing is picked by unknowing hands.
Wait for abundance. This is an important one and layered. It’s connected to the point above, proper identification. Proper identification is related to context and locality. Some plants may be abundant because of specific seasonal conditions, rain, dryness, etc. Whereas the following season may present the opposite. You must pay attention to all the contributing factors. Build a relationship with the land.
Know the space/place. Familiarize yourself with the area in which you choose to forage so that you are aware of seasonal behaviors and changes. For example, I know that at certain times of the year areas along the rio are flush with willow, yerba mansa, or aster. I know this because I go back again and again. If something were to change I have to be aware, as I’m a part of the ripple effect.
Always ask. Ask the plants themselves if they can be picked. Yes, that’s right. Ask and then wait for an answer. Let’s say you come across a stand of something. Approach quietly and thoughtfully. Aloud or internally, introduce yourself, your intention, offer thanks and blessings, and ask if you may harvest it. Drop into your gut brain, your intuition, whatever you want to call it, but there will be some kind of yes or no response. Listen to it. Stay or move on. Offer thanks.
This last one is the most important one and often the one that is overlooked or rarely discussed. It bothers me, because it assumes that humans can just take whatever we want when we want it. It also assumes that plants don’t communicate, have spirit, or intelligence. How do you think humans discovered the medicinal healing powers of plants and flowers in the first place?
Their wisdom and beauty are profound and the more we can learn to approach foraging in this way the better. It’s a matter of rewiring our brains and bodies to a rhythm which isn’t foreign just forgotten. When studying herbalism and wildcrafting this had the most impact on me and something I practice to this day. I encourage you to try it. Senses which are dull easily come alive when a relationship with the natural world is sparked.
Apply the principles of foraging into a moving meditative practice. From that which you harvest you can make plant and flower arrangements.
Intuitive Arrangements is a short digital series promoting a change of scenery via flowers. Get curious, creative, and even channel the practice as a form of meditation. It’s something accessible to anyone who wants to experience the pleasure and delight of playing with flowers at home.