Now spring is almost upon us the forager’s basket is quivering with anticipatory delight. Cleavers, nettles and bittercress might be already gracing your plate and a bounty of other delicious leafy greens and flowers are about to adorn a hedgerow, verge or wayside near you!
With the rising popularity of foraging in recent years it is important to consider how our practices will impact the environment around us. Although careful foraging is unlikely to cause much damage to any given habitat we ought to consider our relationship nature is one of mutual support and respect. This is especially relevant in urban areas where green space is even more precious. It is imperative we are not depleting our plant friend populations when we forage.
Indeed, as foragers we atune ourselves to our environment, it comes naturally to seek to support those habitats that so sustain us. It is important that we do not fall in to the mindset that capitalist consumer society breeds in us, to take all that we can for ourselves. In part, harvesting mindfully will come hand in hand as we travel our respective paths through the botanical world. However, for the novice forager that has just discovered an exciting new free food source it is easy to become a little over zealous when harvesting.
A few foundational principles can be kept in mind when out on a foray to ensure we are practicing sustainable foraging. Firstly, if you find a very small population in certain place, a single primrose for example, it is far better to leave it be and allow it to flourish. In addition, a degree of common sense on what part of the plant you are taking can impact your judgement as to what will not harm the plant too severely. Leaves for example, are recoverable and grow back whereas buds, flowers and fruits are essential to the reproductive cycle of the plant so should be picked with due consideration.
Another guideline some foragers reccommend is the rule of a third. Should you find a healthy density of an edible plant harvest only up to a third of the plant mass as to not cause lasting damage to its overall health. While this rule of a third might be helpful in a remote hedgerow, it is not necessarily helpful when applied to a vicinity that is well frequented. Say an individual takes a third of all the wild garlic in an area of a woodland and the next artisan pesto maker does the same the following day and so on, our poor ramsons are left considerably depreciated. While nature is ever resilient and more than we give credit for, we must gather gratefully and not with greed.
A most helpful idea I have come across is to ensure the area one gathers from is left unnoticably touched. The premise is to harvest lightly in relation to what would not cause harm to the health of each plant population respectively and it be hard to tell you have reaped from the area at all. In addition, we should only take plant material that we will actually use for cooking or medicine etc, rather than taking more than we need in the flurry of a find.
Perhaps most of this goes with out saying for people interested in foraging but is always worth considering how our practices can be better aligned with the vitality of our favourite nature spots. Ultimately, foraging itself emphasises our symbiotic existence with plants and so breeds a greater inclination to sustain and restore the health green spaces. So with this in mind, healthy and happy gathering to you this coming season!