When you walk the earth, there is a need to remember that she is our Mother, without her we have no place to be. In remembering she is our mother we need to bear in mind that it is our responsibility to care take all her creatures great and small. It is our duty to harvest conscientiously, remembering that we impact the 7 generations that follow us.
In the Native way we do not harvest the first plant we spy, but rather offer a gift of tobacco to thank the “Grandparent” plant for the sacrifice of the others we might harm. We never harvest from an area that does not have an abundance of the herb we seek, and we never, ever take all of a plant in an area.
If you are in a position of having the ability to plant gardens in your self acclaimed space, then do so. Consider also planting a Wild Garden in which you plant the wild herbs you use most often. A bed developed with Echinacea, Black Eyed Susan, Queen Anne’s Lace, Violets, Butterfly weed, Chickweed and others can be stunning. The scents can make the mind reel with their delicacy, and reward the soul.
When you do go to harvest in the wild remember to consider if the plant is endangered. If it is, you do not take it. To find out if the plant is rare, endangered or threatened in your area, contact the state horticulturalist or the local chapter of the Native Plant Society.
When you are out in the ‘wild’ remember to look around you, see the land, the animals, the insects, the wind, feel the vibrations of life around you. Connect to your Mother, feel her breath lift your hair, wet your fingers in the streams of her life giving waters, gently probe her skin, walk with beauty, walk in gentleness…..impact your Mother with care. When you have found the proper stand of plants from which you decide to harvest; take note of the other plants in the area. Are there sufficient plants to continue growing after your harvest year after year? Are the plants healthy enough for you to use? Can you harvest a few seeds to scatter in a new area? Are there sufficient seeds to allow natural reseeding in that area for the future?
There are a few things to consider before harvesting a plant….is it the right time of the year? Will it do harm to the plant? Can the harvesting be done in a less impacting way?
Never take so many leaves from a plant that the plant looks denuded, try to make the plant look like it has not been harvested at all…..in other words take a little from many to get the amount of herb that you need. If it is bark do not strip the main trunk, but rather take bark from downed wood or from branches that you cut and strip. Try not to harvest from steeply pitched slopes, as the removal of plants may make an erosion problem. If possible harvest from gently inclined slopes.
Let me regress a little….you must have an absolutely positive identification. Without a definitive identification you could poison yourself. I cannot stress this too much, for example…Queen Anne’s Lace and Poison Hemlock have flowers that are very similar in look…the mistake has been made before with deadly results. Do not jeopardize your safety that way!
The next consideration is the distance from a roadbed. There are noxious fumes given off by gasoline and diesel engines that will affect the plants along the roadside. Many plants like disturbed areas, like along roadsides, so care must be taken to harvest only plants at least a minimum of 50 feet from the nearest source of the contaminants.
Next a few suggestions for the actual harvest:
Select only 2 – 5 plants to harvest on any one trip
Keep plants totally separate from each other to not cross contaminate
Harvest early, but after the nights dew has dried
Process the plants as quickly as possible to avoid loss and waste
Leave all sites just as you found them: fill any holes, cart out all trash, etc.
Never harvest in excess of your expected use
In the Native way we do not harvest the first plant we spy, but rather offer a gift of tobacco to thank the “Grandparent” plant for the sacrifice of the others we might harm. We never harvest from an area that does not have an abundance of the herb we seek, and we never, ever take all of a plant in an area.
If you are in a position of having the ability to plant gardens in your self acclaimed space, then do so. Consider also planting a Wild Garden in which you plant the wild herbs you use most often. A bed developed with Echinacea, Black Eyed Susan, Queen Anne’s Lace, Violets, Butterfly weed, Chickweed and others can be stunning. The scents can make the mind reel with their delicacy, and reward the soul.
When you do go to harvest in the wild remember to consider if the plant is endangered. If it is, you do not take it. To find out if the plant is rare, endangered or threatened in your area, contact the state horticulturalist or the local chapter of the Native Plant Society.
When you are out in the ‘wild’ remember to look around you, see the land, the animals, the insects, the wind, feel the vibrations of life around you. Connect to your Mother, feel her breath lift your hair, wet your fingers in the streams of her life giving waters, gently probe her skin, walk with beauty, walk in gentleness…..impact your Mother with care. When you have found the proper stand of plants from which you decide to harvest; take note of the other plants in the area. Are there sufficient plants to continue growing after your harvest year after year? Are the plants healthy enough for you to use? Can you harvest a few seeds to scatter in a new area? Are there sufficient seeds to allow natural reseeding in that area for the future?
There are a few things to consider before harvesting a plant….is it the right time of the year? Will it do harm to the plant? Can the harvesting be done in a less impacting way?
Never take so many leaves from a plant that the plant looks denuded, try to make the plant look like it has not been harvested at all…..in other words take a little from many to get the amount of herb that you need. If it is bark do not strip the main trunk, but rather take bark from downed wood or from branches that you cut and strip. Try not to harvest from steeply pitched slopes, as the removal of plants may make an erosion problem. If possible harvest from gently inclined slopes.
Let me regress a little….you must have an absolutely positive identification. Without a definitive identification you could poison yourself. I cannot stress this too much, for example…Queen Anne’s Lace and Poison Hemlock have flowers that are very similar in look…the mistake has been made before with deadly results. Do not jeopardize your safety that way!
The next consideration is the distance from a roadbed. There are noxious fumes given off by gasoline and diesel engines that will affect the plants along the roadside. Many plants like disturbed areas, like along roadsides, so care must be taken to harvest only plants at least a minimum of 50 feet from the nearest source of the contaminants.
Next a few suggestions for the actual harvest:
Select only 2 – 5 plants to harvest on any one trip
Keep plants totally separate from each other to not cross contaminate
Harvest early, but after the nights dew has dried
Process the plants as quickly as possible to avoid loss and waste
Leave all sites just as you found them: fill any holes, cart out all trash, etc.
Never harvest in excess of your expected use
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