Taking Just Enough: the Fun of Foraging
The push and pull of nature's bounty and human nature
I recently read the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and was touched by her descriptions of nature, her culture, and motherhood. Robin is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, and in one of the chapters she described her people’s practice of tying a special knot nearby to let others know you’ve already been in the area harvesting a plant. The typical rule of her people when foraging? Don’t take more than half of what you see.
I live in Washington State, and I found out that in Olympic National Forest without a permit and for personal use only a person is allowed:
Berries: One gallon of berries per day, up to three gallons of berries a year
Mushrooms: One gallon of mushrooms per day of one species of mushroom; for multiple species, the daily limit is three (3) species, (1) gallon each
If you want to sell or trade mushrooms or berries, you’ll need a business permit.
You’re also allowed to gather branches of salal (pictured above), but only if you have a business permit.
I don’t know if the general public has a tendency to only take half of what they see in the forest. But I do know that my sister ran into one of my neighbors who complained that someone or something had stripped her fig tree of all her figs in one night. To be fair it was a tree that was in the meridian between the street and sidewalk, which is fair game for passers-by due to the open nature of the hellstrip.
But how do most people feel about other creatures harvesting food?
It think it boils down to intent and need. If you plant an apple tree with the intent of making cider and apple pies for your family and friends, then of course it’s upsetting if somehow a full tree of apples isn’t enough for yummy projects and the occasional urban forager.
On the other hand, I have friends that dealt with the problem too much bounty. Last year these folks were inundated with a bumper crop of apples and couldn’t even give them away. They made apple cider, pies, cut up the apples for salad and in general did everything they could to not waste them. The apples rained down, collecting in piles so deep that walking was difficult. After every reasonable attempt was made to eat and use the apples, they finally loaded the apples into garbage bins and the compost truck took them away. They would have welcomed hungry people that wanted their apples, but they live on an island, the trees were on private property and basically there are no people just randomly walking by.
In a completely opposite part of the country, another friend in Florida deliberately planted fruit trees in a public area with the intent of feeding the anonymous random human. The trees aren’t very productive, but the intent of allowing anyone to gather and eat the fruits are there.
The thrill of foraging is due to the fact that it’s open and it’s free. It feels and IS direct from nature. But the only way to keep that openness is to not take too much.