by Joan Cowden

As more people turn again to the land they live on or near for food and medicine, a consideration of ethical harvesting is helpful. Also known as “wildcrafting,” this is the ancient craft of gathering from the land, while also conserving what is there. As you begin a journey into the wonders of wild edibles, it is good to know what is at risk and be able to adopt a philosophy of care and conservation.

This article is not a set of guidelines for wildcrafting - that is a large topic that covers dress, tools, and guidelines. It is a plea to cultivate a mindset of care and connection as you begin to work with the green world in larger ways.

Imagine that you go into a store only to find that they are out of food, and many other things that we deem to be necessities in our lives, starting with toilet paper and baby wipes. As you stare, astonished, they tell you that it will be at least five years before they have more, and that on some things, there will be no more.

That is exactly what has happened in some places, and for some plants, in the great garden storehouse of America. The loss has come about through misinformation, habitat loss, and unabashed greed. For some plants, it can take a stand five to twenty years to recover from over harvesting; and some stands never do. In the last five decades, Ginseng, and many other medicinal plants, have become rare in the wild. We now rely on cultivated sources or go without.

Sadly, with a recent influx of people interested in wild food and medicines, has also come consumer and greed driven attitudes that have lead some people to plunder wild lands. This practice, and the underlying attitude of “I want it, so I'll take it” is abhorrent, and completely opposed to the very spirit of herbalism. As you connect with the land around you, I hope that you will see yourself in in a relationship with that land, and tend it as you would a garden, for it is.

One of the most important habits to foster is that of learning the growing characteristics of the plant you are interested in. You can begin with any plant about which you are curious, whether you intend to gather it or not. In this way you begin to get a sense of habitat, bioregional ecology, and how common or rare it is.  Perhaps the single most important habit to instill, though, is that of learning a plant's endangerment status (see resources for both of these below).

Here is an exercise that can help you begin a relationship with a piece of land, or deepen one that you have:

Choose a plant to find for fun, and a public place where you think it might grow. Approach the land mindfully, and pause. Breathe with the plants that are creating oxygen for us, and sense them. Know that they are aware of you too — a fact proven by science. Observe the organization of the ecological space: Its edges, how plants are clumped or grouped within it, what plants grow together, patterns of light, shade and water; and anything else you can notice. With awareness and consideration for any delicate plants that you see, step through the area, still observing what is there, and see if you can find your chosen plant.  Make it a game, and enjoy the process, as you learn about that particular piece of land.

Resources:

• Plant ranges and ecology

• Endangered Species Searchable Database

• At-Risk Species List

Joan Cowden is a clinical herbalist practicing in Oklahoma City. You can find her classes on website at https://www.brightcircleherbcraft.com/events/, and look out for her upcoming classes at the Tulsa Garden Center!