1. Always have a 100% ID of anything you forage. If you are unsure, leave it!
2. Never forage under power lines, near railroad tracks, alongside cultivated crop fields, on busy road sides, near any oil and gas tanks, wells or holding ponds, or near old buildings that you suspect might have lead paint.
3. Pay attention to water shed. Consider what is upstream from where you are foraging. For example, the watershed of Grand Lake of the Cherokees is toxic due to former mining operations.
4. Take precautions to protect yourself from ticks, chiggers and snakes. Wear long sleeves and pants. You may want to tuck your socks up under the cuff of your pants. Choose good comfortable close toe shoes or boots. I recommend wearing a bug repellent. There are many good herbal ones available. It is also important to be mindful of where you are walking to avoid obvious dangers, snakes, gopher holes, etc.
5. When trying an edible wild food for the very first time it is wise to test for possible allergic reactions. A simple test can be done by rubbing a small amount of the plant on your wrist. If that area turns red or becomes irritated, avoid that plant. If there is no reaction, you may consider putting a small piece in your mouth and chewing it a few times before spitting it out. Notice if your mouth becomes irritated or if you experience a tingling sensation of sorts. If you are still reaction free, you may want to eat a very small bite. These steps will help you figure out if you are allergic to the plant. I encourage my students to only eat a very small amount of any plant or fruit, etc, that is new to them. I then advise them to wait 24 hours before eating any more to make sure they do not have any unwanted reactions. Again, better safe than sorry.
6. Here in Oklahoma, as well as in other parts of the country, we have an abundance of poison oak and ivy. There are also some lesser known plants such as "Snow on the Mountain'' that contain tiny crystals in the sap that can burn your skin just by touching or rubbing up against it causing dermatitis and blisters. Again, be mindful, present and respectful while in nature. Mother Nature is powerful...
7. Always ask permission to be on private land. Some federal, state and city parks do not allow foraging. Neither do many wildlife preserves.
8. Wear proper clothing such as long sleeves, closed toe shoes and a hat. Sun screen and drinking water are very important. Gloves can be very helpful when harvesting certain plants and berries.
9. Better safe than sorry. Always tell someone where you are going and when you will return. It is wise to go walking with a partner and carry a cell phone if you can.
​10. Never base your ID on just a picture in a book or on the web. Many pictures on the web have been identified incorrectly. If at all possible walk with someone who has vast experience when it comes to wildcrafting.

Note from Jenny: Jackie Dill is my dear mentor and a woman who has taught so many so much about wildcrafting and respect for the earth. To learn more about her and to purchase her books, please visit: http://www.oklahomawildcrafting.com/

   Travel with me to long ago, when everyone ate wild plants. You're a young child, perhaps 3 or 4 years old, certainly no more than 7. Your grandmother (or grandfather or aunt or parent, it doesn't really matter) takes your tiny hand and leads you to a plant and tells you to eat it. She tells you its name but the name isn't really important. You learn the faces of the flowers like the faces of friends. The tips of your fingers remember the texture of each leaf. Your eyes learn to recognize each different shade of green. She reminds you not to pick too much, to respectfully leave some for the four-legged and two-legged ones of the forest and meadow, for the little insects such as bees and for other people who might come along hungry and in need. She warns you back from the patch of poison ivy nearby and teaches you a little rhyme to help you remember what it looks like. On the way home you fall and scrape your knee. She shows you the leaves of a plant to chew and place on your hurt and it feels better right away. She shows you more things a little at a time over many years, teaching you the plants, teaching you respect for the earth and showing you how to use the plants the best way and with as little waste as possible. 

   This is wildcrafting. 

   Wildcrafting goes way beyond the simple concept of foraging. It is the respectful, responsible use of wild plants for food, crafts and as herbs. It involves care for the earth and emphasizes safety and ethics. It is based on an ancient tradition which involves passing knowledge from one person to the next in a spirit of community. I am a heritage wildcrafter. I began learning from my grandfather, Rheuben Green, as a small child and later continued my wildcrafting education with my mentor, Jackie Dill, of Oklahoma Wildcrafting. The knowledge of wild plants through my blog, classes and Facebook page is offered in the spirit of wildcrafting and with the hope you will use this knowledge to care for your family in a way which respects others and honors the earth. Many of the old ways have been lost and not everyone has a grandmother, a wise woman of the family, to teach them what respect means. I'm very lucky to have Jackie as my mentor and so I've asked her if I may share with you her guidelines for safety and ethics and she has given permission. The next two blog posts will be guest posts from her. Listen to the wisdom of the grandmothers. 

Safety Post

Ethics Post

     Along with tea and salve, tinctures are one of the backbone preparations of the herbal world. Fortunately, they are very easy to make. The process is similar to that of making an infused oil.

*Gather your supplies---a clean glass container, plenty of plant material to fill your container, and at least 80 proof brandy, vodka or gin. Some tinctures may degrade metal lids so plastic lids are preferable. You may, however, line a metal lid with plastic wrap in order to use it for your tincture jar.

*Lightly pack your container with coarsely chopped plant material to within an inch of the brim. Fresh plant material is usually best but you can make tinctures from high quality dried herbs as well.  If you are using dried plant material, only fill the jar about 1/3 full with plant material. Because of the alcohol the plant material does not need to be absolutely dry to make a tincture. You can also use food grade vegetable glycerin to make glycerites (glycerin tinctures) but they won't last as long as tinctures made with alcohol.

*Pour alcohol over the plant material to cover it, poke out the air bubbles with a chopstick or the end of a spoon, fill the jar the remaining way with alcohol and cap it. Label the jar with the common and Latin names of the plant, the kind of alcohol used and the date. I usually set my macerating tinctures on a kitchen counter out of direct sunlight. Shake it once or twice daily. Allow it to macerate (set as it extracts the plant constituents) for 4-6 weeks before straining.

*Strain through a fine mesh strainer. If you want to make sure there is not particulate matter in the tincture you can line the strainer with a piece of coarsely woven cloth. Compost the plant material and re-bottle the liquid in a jar it will fill to the brim. Avoiding air space helps preserve tinctures for longer term storage.

*Store away from heat and direct sunlight. Tinctures will last for about five years but have been known to last as long as twenty years.
   

Prairie Sage (Artemisia ludoviciana)
   Another name for this plant is silver queen and I think of her as the healing queen of the prairie. There are multiple subspecies of Artemisia ludoviciana which grow in Oklahoma so there is some variation in appearance.The silvery cast to the leaves is one uncommon quality which can help with identification.
   When young this plant can be gathered and dried to use as a sage substitute. It has a stronger taste so only use 1/3 to 1/2 as much as you would use garden sage.
   Prairie sage grows across central and western Oklahoma. If you spend a lot of time outdoors in this region and only learn one wild herb, this is the one to learn. I use it as a poultice for cuts, scrapes, poison ivy and insect stings. I infuse it in apple cider vinegar as a spray for poison ivy and also use the infused vinegar on salads and in cooking as a digestive aid. I include it in salves for sore muscles and inflamed joints.
   It has a tradition of wide use across multiple Native American tribes. It is considered by many to be a sacred herb and is used for smudging to cleanse homes and in the sweat lodge. My wildcrafting mentor, Jackie Dill, of Oklahoma Wildcrafting taught me to make smudge sticks and I regularly smudge my home as well as tossing a prairie sage bundle on the camp fire to keep away mosquitoes.
​   Another traditional use is for excessive menstruation and other menstrual irregularities. It is a traditional digestive bitter and liver tonic. Internal use should be avoided by pregnant women. For a lovely article on the Artemisias by herbalist Kiva Rose, visit http://www.animacenter.org/artemisia.html