Winter Foraging Workshop Ethics and Thoughts

One of the lynch pins to our foraging program will be a strong statement about ethics and sustainability. While it would be great to find that fantastic stand of cattails, to wipe it out so it won't be around next year does no one any good. So, below are some thoughts that I've had and others that were shared by Doug.

1. Forage only established groves/stands/plants; and
2. Forage only enough so that you don't wipe out the plant; and
3. Consider what role that plant may play with the area wildlife; and
4. Do no harm in approaching the foraging area; and
5. Don't pick anything from the side of the road

Doug's guidelines for whether a food is worth while:
1. Tastes great
2. Digests well
3. Gives good energy
4. Abundant
5. Easy to harvest
6. Easy to process
7. Easy to prepare

He also suggests:
1. Mix your foraged foods with foods you like to find a balanced diet
2. Wild foods are often "strong," "bitter," or "excessive ruffage"
3. If you're into mushroom foraging read David Aurora's books