You know what we love? Responsible foraging. Tamara gives us the low down on her top foraging best practices, so you don’t end up damaging the environment (or topping yourself).
There’s something about foraging that connects us with our primitive selves. Roaming the woods in search of sustenance; a satisfying romanticism about eating for dinner only what you’ve plucked straight from the wild earth.
From juicy blackberries to robustly flavoured wild garlic, the country’s woodlands, hedgerows, fields and coastal areas utterly brim with delicious and nutritious finds – many of which you’ll never find in the supermarket.
Post COVID and in the wake of rising food costs, foraging has soared in popularity. However, some people approach foraging with the reckless enthusiasm of Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
It’s important to ensure your foraging escapades are marked by respect for nature, safety, and ample common sense. That way, you’ll avoid appearing in the local paper under the headline, “Idiot Hospitalised After Mistaking Poisonous Berries for Tasty Snack”.
So here is some guidance on foraging best practice, along with my personal picking pet peeves and foraging ‘unforgivables’.
- Don't Be Greedy – Save Some for the Wildlife (& Others)
- Not Going to Eat it? Don’t Pick it All!
- Don't Die: ID Properly & Use Multiple Resources
- Test to Ensure No Allergies
- Assess & Understand the Surrounding Environment
- Don’t Touch Endangered Species
- Take Time to Learn Harvesting Etiquette
- Stay on Public Land Only
Don’t Be Greedy – Save Some for the Wildlife (& Others)
Foraging is a great way to connect with nature, but it’s not an excuse to strip the landscape bare. Yes we all get over excited when we see a bush laden with bilberries or a field of 10 puffballs as big as your head. But don’t be a glut.
The general rule of thumb is to take absolutely no more than a third (33%) of what’s there and even then, take only what you need and no more. Many foraging guides will recommend picking only 20%.
Leaving at least two thirds of what you find means not only is there enough for the species to reproduce (be that spreading by seeds, spores etc), you’ll also be leaving vital foods for animals and insects (and potentially other foragers to take their small share).
Just because something is labelled as “edible” does not necessarily mean it’s going to taste good either (bitter weeds and tree bark comes to mind). So unless your cooking skills rival those of Gordon Ramsay, it’s wise to stick to the better-known and tastier options, instead of taking a load of something before you’ve tried it that you may well end up binning.
By the way, here are some of my top overrated wild foods, if you’re keen to learn more about the foraged foods I don’t highly rate.
Not Going to Eat it? Don’t Pick it All!
On so many foraging Facebook groups I see someone post a picture of a pile of mushrooms they’ve picked from the wild with the caption “Not going 2 eat. ID please x”.
THEN WHY PICK SO MANY YOU MORON!
If you don’t know for sure what something is, and more to the point, don’t even intend to use it, only a couple suffice for identification purposes (such as for spore and cut tests). Like I said above, leave them for wildlife, or even to allow its rotting goodness to enrich the soil from where it came.
Don’t Die: ID Properly & Use Multiple Resources
This seems like a given, but it’s worth repeating: please, for the love of all that is good and green, don’t shove unidentified plants, berries, nuts, fruits and fungi into your mouth. Not everything that looks like a heavenly Garden of Eden berry is actually a deliciously tasty treat.
In fact, you should probably get to know some of the most poisonous berries in the UK, so you can ensure you don’t get mixed up.
Even then, some edible species look almost identical to non-edible toxic species, even to trained eyes.
Always cross-reference your finds with multiple reliable resources (and do tests) before using. These could include a combinations of Google Lens reverse image search, referencing a good foraging book like the Wild Food UK Pocket Foraging Guide and/or checking with a knowledgeable foraging mentor.
When it comes to mushrooms, you can’t just rely on looking at the top of the cap (‘pileus’). It’s a common foraging faux pas beginners make. There are many other areas of fungi to look at and multiple tests to do for proper identification.
For example:
- Viewing the underside of the cap (‘lamella’) for the gills/pores/teeth
- Viewing or cutting the stem lengthways (‘stipe’)
- Note the presence or absence of a skirt/ring (‘annulus’)
- Doing smell tests
- Cutting tests (e.g. the yellow stainer test)
- Undertaking spore print test (e.g. placing cap on white paper for a period of time to assess spore pattern and colour)
A good foraging book will explain in more detail how to properly identify and carry out these tests.
If you’re a foraging newbie (or just sensible) stick to harvesting things that cannot be confused with anything else inedible.
When it comes to making tinctures or cooking wild foods, research the best methods and cooking techniques. Some species, if not prepared or cooked in the right way, can be harmful. For example, apparently raw and unripe elderberries contain cyanide but they are edible when cooked.
And if still in doubt after ID’ing via multiple sources, don’t eat it. There’s no foraging glory in spending a week in the hospital throwing your guts up.
Test to Ensure No Allergies
Some common edible species do not sit well with everyone.
Chicken of the Woods fungi, which is often found growing on, or at the base of dying or dead hardwood trees, is one example. Many people rave about how delicious it is breaded and fried like a chicken goujon, but it can also upset many people’s stomachs.
For any new wild food you try, always eat a small amount beforehand (i.e. a few bites), wait at least 24 hours. If you have no adverse reactions such as vomiting, stomach pains, swelling or rashes, then you should be alright.
The same principle goes for making balms or tinctures. Test the final product on a small area of delicate skin, such as on your wrist, and wait 24 hours to ensure you have no reaction before smothering it anywhere else.
Assess & Understand the Surrounding Environment
When you find edible foods, there are a few things to assess before harvesting anything.
The environment where something grows can provide huge indicators into its quality.
Chicken of the Woods, which I mentioned above, should generally be avoided when growing on the poisonous Yew tree because it’s said to absorb the toxic alkaloids. Knowing what is a safe environment for what you harvest is pretty important.
As well as understanding this, my general go-to questions to myself when foraging are:
- Could a dog have peed on this? Species found low down in urban areas, such as next to footpaths, could well have been peed on by dogs, cats and foxes. I’m not sure about you, but I’m not really into that.
- Could this be covered in pesticides? In built-up areas such as near roads or people’s gardens where weed killer and pesticides are sprayed in abundance, many plants and fungi could be covered in chemicals. It’s maybe not wise to pick edible weeds like dandelions in urban areas, for example. Assess the likelihood of such contamination and make a call. Typically you should aim to forage species away from main footpaths, being careful of where you tread.
- Does the species look healthy? Is the plant overrun by pests, wilted, discoloured or generally looking a bit sad? Avoid harvesting anything that doesn’t look strong and healthy.
- Is the species past its best? Many plants and fungi are at their best and tastiest when they are young. Any mushrooms that grow too big can go woody, tough and unpleasantly acrid to taste. It’s the same with many leaves which can get ropey and bitter with age (but don’t we all?)
- Is the species near a main road? Wild edibles near roads absorb lead and heavy metals from pollution into their cells. Even a wash or good cook won’t get rid of it. Water from near roads can also often be contaminated, so typically harvesting plants from beside roads is a no-no.
Don’t Touch Endangered Species
This surely would have to be up there as the number one way to be a foraging twit. But hey, it needs to be said, and it’s a major foraging best practice to be aware of: don’t be that idiot who wipes out a rare species.
Due to many factors such as climate change, more and more flora are falling into the endangered list.
Most good foraging books or online resources will tell you when something is endangered. And if something is, even if it seems in abundance where you are, don’t harvest it (it’s often rare or protected nationally).
Instead it’s a good idea to report it to a national body and have the satisfaction of feeling like an important field scientist.
Take Time to Learn Harvesting Etiquette
Know when the best time is to harvest certain species. Cutting some plants in winter when they are dormant, for example, can lead to stress, infection and ultimately harm the ecosystem.
Similarly, when in heat or drought conditions, don’t forage already stressed plants, otherwise you may cause them to die.
For plants, learn where to cut fruits or leaves with a sharp knife so as to prevent harming the whole plant.
And just because something is marked as edible, it doesn’t mean every part of it is either, so there is often no need to take the whole thing. A general rule of thumb for plants is to take no more than 25% of it.
And if you don’t intend to use the roots, don’t be a d*ck and pull the whole bloody thing up.
Stay on Public Land Only
Unless you want a shotgun in your face from an unhappy farmer, it’s best not to stray onto private land without explicit consent from the landowner.
Even if you’re sure something is self sown or ‘wild’, unfortunately it’s still illegal to go on someone’s private property to harvest it. For example, a field.
If in doubt whether the land is public or private, it’s a good idea to find out or simply try your luck elsewhere.
Foraging is an utterly rewarding hobby to have, but only if you forage carefully and considerately so you don’t harm yourself and the environment around you. What’s your take on this guide to foraging best practice?
Note: This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not a comprehensive foraging or bushcraft guide. Foraging requires accurate knowledge to safely identify edible species. Misidentification can lead to harmful or fatal consequences. Always consult a professional or reliable guide before consuming wild foods, and adhere to foraging best practices.