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Foraging Tools
Every now and then the topic has come up of "what tools do you consider essential for foraging?". As I slipped some short lengths of string and a hunting knife into my pocket before heading outside today, I realized that my personal list of essentials has adapted and simplified over the years. I'd guess that whether or not a bit of paraphernalia is essential depends on what sort of terrain one has access to. I don't have much use for collapsible shovels and other doodads I've heard recommended, but maybe that's just because most of my foraging takes place amidst the weeds of a New York City community garden! Here's my current list, and I'm curious to learn about yours:
8 inch (approx) pieces of string or twine: for tying up herbs or greens that will be hung to dry when I get home (goldenrod, mugwort, etc.) I reuse these until they start fraying, untying them and slipping the string into my pocket each time a bundle of herb is done drying.
Plastic and Paper Bags: Don't leave home without them! I still remember the time I improvised a container for the ripe mulberries I found near the NY Botanical Gardens out of a disposable coffee cup because I didn't have anything else with me.
8-inch Hunting Knife: My all time favorite for digging out dandelion, burdock and other roots easily.
Pruning shears or scissors: For harvesting tender plants that will come back if you just give their tops a "haircut", such as chickweed and sorrel.
Potato scrubbing brush: I don't bring one with me, but back in the kitchen it's invaluable for scrubbing the dirt off those dandelion roots.
...and if I'm foraging in my own backyard, a big bowl half full of water to drop greens straight into so they don't wilt before they get to the salad bowl
Leda Meredith
I always have a fist full of rubber bands when I go out. String will work but with rubberbands...as my bundles dry and shrink the band shrinks to....plus I can reuse them later.
A small pair of scissors for clipping, bags of assorted sizes and a dandelion weeder thingy for digging up roots. I prefer a pointless and worthless paperback as well for tucking in leaves and flowers to dry but more often than not I forget to add that to my pack.
Oh...totally forgot. My two favorite tools when foraging are my own thick thumb nails. (both broke at this moment) but generally if my thumbnail wont cut most weeds I really don't want to eat the weed.
I really don't cut much in the spring like this...if it wont snap or cut with a nail..... Now later when summer toughens up yarrow stems and mugwort and the likes a cutting tool is really important.
Melana (hands on) Hiatt