Wildcrafting: Good foragers diversify and learn to accept what comes

An old metal tap next to the newer plastic version used to harvest maple sap. We are in the midst of maple syrup season. Both the old and the new work to capture sap from any maple tree. My harvest this year has been erratic, as well as my time commitment to the task. Some years are like that.

Linda Diane Feldt | Contributor

Wild food is unpredictable. Name a food, there are good times and bad. A bit of odd weather, an invasive stepping in, and the harvest can be decreased or even ruined.

Remarkably, it is only in the last 100 years or so that anyone could imagine expecting a certain food to be ready and available any time you want it. I believe that has changed our perception of the world. We expect things to remain the same, to be predictable and smooth.

And that isn’t real.

To be a happy forager you must go with the flow. Set out for one food and return with what you find. Make use of the abundance life offers and work around what may suddenly be scarce. Life is unendingly interesting.

Last May, my most favorite stinging nettle patch was overrun with garlic mustard. That was a hard loss. Maybe the abundance of my black raspberries made up for it. Here is it March, and I’m still making smoothies out of them. And my garden collards did better than any other year, so I had plenty of greens.

A good forager always diversifies. Then all the pieces fit well together. Wild food, the garden, gifts and trades with friends. It works out far better than I could plan.

This year’s maple crop isn’t what I expected or planned for. The flow has been pretty erratic. So far I’ve managed to tap a few trees and freeze enough sap to make oatmeal for most of next year.

Using plain sap (not the syrup that takes forever to boil down to a bit of syrup) for cooking has become a daily treat I cherish. Used in place of water, it makes my daily oatmeal sweet and flavorful in a way I love. Plain water just doesn’t do it any more.

Last year I made it through with about seven gallons; this year I’ve set aside the freezer space for a dozen, and I’ve made it to that goal. What luxury.

Life has been busy though, another component of wild harvesting you can’t exactly predict. I may not collect the other 40 gallons I planned on to make a gallon or two of syrup. Oh well. There is always next year.

Linda Diane Feldt is a local Holistic Health Practitioner, teacher, writer, and herbalist. You can follow her on twitter, visit her website, or contact her directly at ldfeldt(at)holisticwisdom.org Linda Diane offers free monthly classes on herbs sponsored by The People’s Food Co-op. The next class is May 24 is on supportive herbs for cancer and heart disease. Her book “Spinach and Beyond: Loving Life and Dark Green Leafy Vegetables” is available locally at Morgan and York, Crazy Wisdom Bookstore, Nicola’s or online from Amazon.com.