Part 1 Introduction to Foraging Why should you use a foraging journal? 1)Become a better forager (notes are more reliable than memory) a.Keep track of your best spots i.Location (address) ii.Habitats (ecosystem) b.Reminder to forage at the right times for YOUR specific location i.Organization helps! You won't have to look for dates on all your photos or calendars. ii.Notes on how harvest dates change from year to year and why: rainfall, frost dates, wind, etc.
c.Notes on how to use your harvests (and how not to!) 2)How to use this journal WITH a field guide to combine expertise with experience a.Field guide provides identification and habitat information b.Journal allows you to record personal experience i.Example of combination (plant) ii.Example of combination (mushroom) 3)Safety a.Allergies i.Understand plant families ii.
Start small with each new wild edible b.Location i.Pollution 1.Chemicals in landscape 2.Traffic 3.Animals (poop, pee and corpses) ii.Herbicides 1.How to spot herbicide damage iii.
Permission 1.Rules for foraging on public lands c.Plant identification i.Use your field guide! d.Stage of plant growth i.Why it matters 4)About the Seasons (you already have the intro text for this section) a.Phenology i.Example (spicebush blooms when skunk cabbage unfurls) b.
Weather i.Before frost, after frost? 1.Example: crabapples ii.Before rain, after rain? 1.Examples: sumac, mushrooms 5)When to Forage What a.How seasons relate to plant parts (shoots, leaves, fruit, nuts, root crops, bark) i.Flavor ii.Safety Part 2 Foraging Journal Intro to the Four Seasons Spring Intro to Spring List/chart for spring: Common plants/mushrooms to forage; where to find them and when Journal pages Summer Intro to Summer List/chart for summer: Common plants/mushrooms to forage; where to find them and when Journal pages Fall Intro to Fall List/chart for fall: Common plants/mushrooms to forage; where to find them and when Journal pages Winter Intro to Winter List/chart for winter: common plants/mushrooms to forage; where to find them and when Journal pages.