These "rules of engagement" are a compilation of information I've put together from many sources over the years for the safe and sustainable foraging of wild edible plants.
- Make sure you identify each plant correctly before tasting it. Use a wild edible plant identification book with pictures or illustrations and compare it carefully to the plant in question. If you are not sure, give the plant a few days to grow some more and double check your hypothesis before trying it. YOU are responsible for making sure a plant is edible before eating it.
- Know the plant's look-alikes, especially the toxic ones. Most wild edible plant identification guides have information about toxic look-alikes to watch out for.
- Try only a small portion the first time, one plant at a time. Wait a full day to see if any ill effects have occurred. If not, increase your consumption the next time and perform the same test. Everyone has the potential to react differently to what they eat--even (or especially) commercially available food.
- When foraging, only harvest about 25% (I'm estimating here; a fair percentage is the idea) of a given plant or stand of plants. This allows the plant to survive and reproduce each year.
- Do not forage endangered species. If you are not sure if a plant is endangered or not, look it up on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program website and steer clear if it's on the list.
- Do not forage next to a major road. There will be so much grit on the plant you won't be able to wash it off, not to mention what falls on it from exhaust.
- Know the regulations for foraging in your area. Many national forests allow foraging for personal use but require a permit if you collect over a certain quantity or for commercial use. A simple online search for your local national forest should turn up the regulations you are looking for.
- Walking tours of local plants are often available through naturalist organizations or Forest Service centers. Joining such a tour is a good way to get a lay of the land or to confirm your tentative plant identifications with an expert.
- Hike a lot, looking closely at plants to familiarize yourself. You can even try staring out the window when you're a passenger in the car, trying to identify wild edibles.
* Incidentally, yet another reason why I like Cattail Bob's book, Best-Tasting Wild Plants of Colorado, is that in addition to including what he considers to be the "best-tasting" plants, he also chose plants that are not endangered.
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