Foragers have a threefold responsibility of care and consideration: firstly to yourself to stay safe; secondly to others in the community, whether land owners or friends and family who might eat your wild food creations; and thirdly to the planet - we humans are just one of many species who depend on it. Be safe, be legal and be ethical: I hope this guide will help us all to be good foragers!
Away from roads and other sources of pollution, such as weedkiller sprayed areas in gardens and fields.
Protect your hands, face and arms - many of the best food plants have prickles or stings!
Permission from land owners: ask before you enter private land! The local pub landlord or village shop owner can usually point you in the right direction. You must seek permission from the landowner before uprooting any wild plant, however common it is.
Identify the plant positively: never eat anything you cannot definitely identify with 100% certainty. Sometimes you may need to collect the whole plant in order to do this. Never put unidentified plants in the same container as those you intend to eat, you could end up eating something poisonous!
Endangered or protected plant species should never be collected. It is your responsibility to find out what these are. Never pick from protected places such as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – rare or endangered bird, animal or insect species may rely on common food plants located there.
Regenerate the site by leaving a few healthy specimens untouched to complete their life cycle, and only take what you know you can use.
Follow these guidelines and be
a HAPPIER forager!