Foraging For Beginners

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1 Poisoning oneself: This occurs when a person eats a poisonous plant or handles a toxic plant. Therefore, take extra care. Some poisonous plants can cause dizziness, nausea, seizures, and even death. So, though foraging may be fun, it is not a light affair.

2 Destroying the environment: The excitement of foraging may make us forget that the environment thrives on the preservation of these wild plants. Stomping through the wild and destroying plants or harvesting more than necessary or taking the only plant in an area is essentially destroying the environment. Wild animals need some of these plants to survive more than we do. So, we should take care when foraging to carry only what is necessary and leave the rest for other foragers and wild animals.

3 Going against the law: Foraging is a delightful activity but shouldn't contravene any laws. It's easy to trespass or forage on prohibited grounds if one is not careful. This can lead to an arrest or worse, a conviction. So, you need to be sure that where you're foraging is safe ground.

4 Dealing with unusual foods: Depending on the person you are, this may be a welcome challenge. Others will steer clear of the unusual. Wild foods, as with all foods, have their preparation process, and this may involve days or weeks to get the product edible. Do not despair, patience is key when dealing with all things wild.

Chapter 2

Types of Equipment to Use for Foraging

Before you get all excited and start outdoors, let’s talk about your foraging gear. What to wear, what to carry, what to use; we will extensively discuss these.

For our purposes, we’ll divide these types of equipment into four kinds, protective gear for you, tools to assist you with harvesting plants, storage for different plants, and the miscellaneous.