places to harvest

[kaijafon]

I have read many (if not all) the posts and noticed that there are those that go and harvest herbs in the wild.

So I was wondering (since I will be eventually moving) where in this country is the BEST place to harvest the MOST beneficial herbs and plants.

I'd like everyone's input of the general area (please do not put your address) of where YOU like to harvest wild edibles for both medicinal and just plain edible reasons.

Right now where I live, there is literally very few places that a person can go. We have parks but it is illegal to pick. The rest of the land is either farmland or housing where people kill the good stuff in their lawns and only grow grass.....

Thanks!
kellie

[bookwormom]

first of all, you need to get to know the plants that are edible or medicinal in the area you live in. Ask neighbors if it is okay if you look for wild plants. I did, all my neighbors have more acreage than we do and live way back and everybody was agreeable. You have to shy away from agricultural land, roadsides, even though you might find some really nice plants, but they are contaminated from the car exhaust. I started an herb garden because a lot of plants that I used to pick in the wild just are not around.

[kaijafon]

I have ID's the plants around here - as for edibles/medicinals...there are none.... seriously, the parks are all grass and gravel, there are farms everywhere that use all kinds of chemicals that one cannot harvest even in the ditches. In the wooded placed it is mostly mosses and ferns and all the other areas are mostly grasses and non-edibles. I took a taxonomy class a year or so ago and collected over 100 species and only one was edible and that was found up in the Ozarks!

I have an herb garden started, I'm growing many things.

Why I would like to know about other places is because I will be moving in a couple years and want to move to a place where I CAN go harvest in the wild....and no worries, I'm very conscientious when I harvest.

The place where I will finally settle (for the rest of my life I hope) must have this opportunity.

So if anyone can please give me some input, I would greatly appreciate it!

thanks!
kellie

[hardscrabble]

SE Ohio has aloto of flora to offer. Its a regular jungle here where i live. All kinds of things can be harvested. Ginseng and goldenseal are the 2 most sought after for the $$$ Although literally thousands of species grow around here, trees, shrubs, vines, mushrooms, on and on. Take a walk thru the woods bout mid may here and the woods are alive with all sorts of stuff. I have been around a good bit, and no place has the same intrigue and fascination as the great hills of SE Ohio.
I was born a Buckeye and i'll die a Buckeye! :)

Keep your powder dry

[zbery1]

Well our flora and fauna here in alaska is a bit different than in warmer climes, *I live in the southeast which is about like British Columbia and much warmer than further north. We have many of the plants that are down south and a few you won't find there, like devils club. *The natives here have long used it for healing purposes. The best part about here is that there is plenty of land to harvest from with little or no restriction. People are the minority rather than the majority. We only own two acres. However, we have thousands of acres to harvest from. Summers are short but with the long days everything grows like an explosion.

[kaijafon]

thanks for the information!!! I appreciate the input! and will put these places on my 'possible' list.

[MHinFox]

Most all of the national forest areas will allow harvesting some during seasons check with local forest areas...most are very helpful and will also offer good areas to look . many have seasons that are the time they allow and always remember to not over harvest when you find good spots.

[MHinFox]

you mentioned the Ozarks they are great about it and also have tie ins with sme of the herb groups,,,,such as Ozark folk center in Mt View Ar

[crafty2002]

You sound like you are a young person and while I admire your thoughts of being able to "harvest" free herbs etc., I would not move to a place for that reason.
There isn't any herb that can't be planted from seed.
Most herbs once planted will reproduce the next year and some will even sorta get out of hand unless you tend them and keep them at bay.
At this time, I would be looking more for a safe place to live without worrying about low grade people wanting to take what you have. A place of security. A place where you can grow what you want to and be safe.
I guess I am lucky because I have about 60+ acres I can use as I please for another 9 years any way.
I intend on starting a bunch of little small patches of this and that and just picking what I need and letting nature do the rest for next year.
I Have broken my back twice from falls. And you can bet I suffer from pain. I found a "Gel" that you rub into the back that helps somewhat.
Nowhere close to as good as a pill but it knocks the edge off enough one doesn't think about shooting himself in the head.
And that's how bad the pain gets sometimes.
Point being, I can, and will try this year to grow St. John's Wart, Arnica, Lavender, White Willow, Yarrow, and I already have the comfret patch growing for chicken feed. ??? Who knew that was a pain killer??
But that is the ingredients in this water based jell I have a few small packs of.
I figure I can put it in the blender, add some water and hey, I have Back & Neck Rescue (tm) Gel.
I have more ideas also but you get the point.
A buck fifty will get you a pack of seeds and chances are that if you just broad cast them, you'll have some plants come up. That is natures way od doing things. Thank God for that.
JMHO, but I would be looking more for a secure place to live and seeds if I were you.
That is just the way I am looking at it now and I am getting up in the years and as I said, you sound young.
Take care and God Bless
Dennis

[kaijafon]

You sound like you are a young person and while I admire your thoughts of being able to "harvest" free herbs etc., I would not move to a place for that reason.
There isn't any herb that can't be planted from seed.
Most herbs once planted will reproduce the next year and some will even sorta get out of hand unless you tend them and keep them at bay.
At this time, I would be looking more for a safe place to live without worrying about low grade people wanting to take what you have. A place of security. A place where you can grow what you want to and be safe.
I guess I am lucky because I have about 60+ acres I can use as I please for another 9 years any way.
I intend on starting a bunch of little small patches of this and that and just picking what I need and letting nature do the rest for next year.
I Have broken my back twice from falls. And you can bet I suffer from pain. I found a "Gel" that you rub into the back that helps somewhat.
Nowhere close to as good as a pill but it knocks the edge off enough one doesn't think about shooting himself in the head.
And that's how bad the pain gets sometimes.
Point being, I can, and will try this year to grow St. John's Wart, Arnica, Lavender, White Willow, Yarrow, and I already have the comfret patch growing for chicken feed. *??? Who knew that was a pain killer??
But that is the ingredients in this water based jell I have a few small packs of.
I figure I can put it in the blender, add some water and hey, I have Back & Neck Rescue (tm) Gel.
I have more ideas also but you get the point.
A buck fifty will get you a pack of seeds and chances are that if you just broad cast them, you'll have some plants come up. That is natures way od doing things. Thank God for that.
JMHO, but I would be looking more for a secure place to live and seeds if I were you.
That is just the way I am looking at it now and I am getting up in the years and as I said, you sound young.
Take care and God Bless
Dennis * *
Hi Dennis,

thanks so much for the input. I would agree that "safe" place sounds good. However, I want to be able to wander around the woods and mountains. I won't necessarily be "harvesting" everything I see and most likely will be planting seeds in the wild.

When I "settle" I definitely think that being able to go out into nature is one of the main criteria for the place where I end up moving to. Right now, where I am; there is NOTHING, well unless you trespass on private property and the surrounding farms have really made anything you might find highly NON-edible.

There are a LOT of public management lands but like the national parks, you must get permission and permits. State parks you CANNOT harvest anything!

I simply wish to be able to go for long walks and perhaps harvest a few medicinal herbs for tea, or some greens for a salad, etc.... I totally plan on having many raised beds full of herbs, veggie's, and flowers.

But I do NOT want to get stuck or pick a place like I'm at. Which is why I was so curious about what kinds of 'edibles' people have around them. And good places to find a wide variety.

thanks again!
take care
kellie

[crafty2002]

Kellie it sounds like you want to be where I want to be, LOL.
I wish I could pick up the house and about 60 acres and move it to Ark. , Tenn. , Ky. , or W.Va.
That sounds like where you are looking for.
Maybe close to the mountains in Va. or N.C.
Good luck
Dennis

[cresapfarm]

west virginia is very good- i have black and blue cohosh, goldenseal and ginseng that i re-introduced, ramps transplanted from national forest- legal to gather a few years ago- a morel patch, and i plant persimmons and witch hazel whenever a windfall creates a break in the canopy, thousands of jack-in-the-pulpits,and bloodroot that i could could sell a few of to city gardeners for extra cash, not to mention nuts and mushrooms and berries...

[kaijafon]

west virginia is very good- i have black and blue cohosh, goldenseal and ginseng that i re-introduced, ramps transplanted from national forest- legal to gather a few years ago- a morel patch, and i plant persimmons and witch hazel whenever a windfall creates a break in the canopy, thousands of jack-in-the-pulpits,and bloodroot that i could could sell a few of to city gardeners for extra cash, not to mention nuts and mushrooms and berries...
I've actually been talking to someone who lives in WV! It does sound wonderful! And I've added it to my list for sure!!! I am assuming you mean you've these plants on your land? yes? Which is something I would like to do, be able to plant what I will use but still go out in nature and see these things, maybe even add to them in nature. Thanks so much for sharing!!!

[kaijafon]

Kellie it sounds like you want to be where I want to be, LOL.
I wish I could pick up the house and about 60 acres and move it to Ark. , Tenn. , Ky. , or W.Va.
That sounds like where you are looking for.
Maybe close to the mountains in Va. or N.C.
Good luck
Dennis
I live in AR right now, and want out! Maybe I could stand it if I wasn't living in the farmland/delta area and was up in the Ozarks or something but it's just so very humid here. It's just not for me, but it might be for you. lol! take care!

[cresapfarm]

I've actually been talking to someone who lives in WV! It does sound wonderful! *And I've added it to my list for sure!!! *I am assuming you mean you've these plants on your land? yes? *Which is something I would like to do, be able to plant what I will use but still go out in nature and see these things, maybe even add to them in nature. *Thanks so much for sharing!!! *

yes, all on my land, two ecosystems- wet ravine and 150 foot higher dry upland, with gas and power right of ways that actually add to diversity as sunny and dry... i do add, and lately plants have taken their own course- puttyroots in unexpected places and indian paintbrush introduced and moving about... thanks, herb

[harvester]

high desert here, nothing much to pick but dead grass and tumbleweeds...hahahhaa..

in the mountains tho where i used to live, along rivers and creeks grew tons of edible and medicinal herbs and fruits and vegetables. i miss that place just because of the flora!

[Gwynyvyr]

Gulf coast area of South East Texas here.
Jungle city, lol!
EVERYTHING grows here, even stuff you don't want to grow!
My neighbor put a terrific, lovely, NEAT little herb garden in her back yard last year in March.
Well, it has now completely taken over her backyard, the backyards of the 2 houses on either side of her and the house directly behind her :o
Kinda funny going over and helping her cut back her basil with a machete...

[CarolAnn]

Kellie -
I lived in the Ozarks in Arkansas and it was a wonderful place to harvest wild foods and herbs. I stayed on my own land for the most part, and if I was going to gather somewhere else, I asked for permission first. I was told that a few areas "might" be where someone was growing pot and that there "might" be traps or trigger-happy owners - but I never actually ran into anyone who acted like that. (The idea did keep me from asking total strangers if I could walk in their woods, though!) ;)

I haven't found any place like that in Wisconsin. It's all "NO TRESPASSING" and private property. And of course, parks where even if there are wild things growing, you can't touch them. Iowa is pretty much the same way, although I have been known to stop the car, wade through the ditch and take photos of wild flowers there - people look at me like I'm nuts (as they fly by in their cars!)

I would think the back roads of the Missouri Ozarks would also be fairly safe and friendly, as long as you don't take too much or something obviously staked out by someone. (Ditch asparagus is usually staked out no matter WHERE it is growing!!)

[Kelleysvt]

I'm just starting to learn about this but I read an article last year about a couple who mostly live off and make a decent living at harvesting wild edibles (they sell them to local restaurants). I live in Central VT.

[woodzman]

We've got a lot, including mushrooms here in Ny, but the taxes are so high you probably wouldn't want to make the move. Don't discount those ferns you mentioned. In the spring, May, in this part of the country, you can harvest the curled tops (fiddle heads) from them. Real tasty with some salt, pepper and melted butter.

Bob.

[woodzman]

I'm just starting to learn about this but I read an article last year about a couple who mostly live off and make a decent living at harvesting wild edibles (they sell them to local restaurants). *I live in Central VT.


I tried that here, but couldn't sell them to any stores or restaurants. Seems if they're not FDA approved (packed in a can and loaded with preservatives, or sprayed with pestisides) they can't be sold that way. Not here at least.

Bob.

[alma]

Altnature.com
That'sagreatsiteforinfo.
spacebarnatworking
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love,alma

[woodzman]

Thank you very much, alma.

* * * * * * *Bob.