D2_Agraria_Journal_21_OPT

12 AGRARIA JOURNAL 2021 Foraging for food is an ancient tradition spanning cultures, and geographic and political boundaries. The practice is seeing an uptick in recent decades in the U.S., particularly among folks who appreciate having a relationship with the outdoors. This trend, along with the current ecological footprint of global trade and market- driven relationships with nature, has created many ethical quandaries. Some that are often on my mind include: • Whose land am I on and what does that mean about how I should forage and what I eat? • What bearing does the way my ancestors’ interactions with these plants have on the communion I now seek with them? • What are the potential ecological effects of my harvesting or promoting the consumption of this food? • What is the difference between “can” and “should” in harvesting and in eating each of the foods I forage? • If I find myself at odds with the questions above or similar ones, are there alternatives or do I need to set boundaries with myself now in relation to these foods? This last question is becoming a hot one in foraging circles, particularly as it involves the concept of “invasive” or non-native plants vs. native plants. Let’s take Ramps for example, Allium tricoccum, var. tricoccum or burdickii. Much has been written by others about this wonderful plant. This native Allium (onion family) is a native woodland plant known for inhabiting shaded areas with good soil quality. The leaves and bulb of the plant are a delectable edible, tasting like a rich, sweet, combination of the garlic and onion commonly found in U.S. supermarket chains. It is often made into pesto, used as an onion/garlic garnish, and of course the foragers favorite in many places, cooked low and slow in butter with morels, which also appear in early to mid-spring. The questions when applied here, bring some issues to the table. Ramps are a plant with a reproductive life cycle regularly documented at up to seven years. This means it takes the plant up to seven years to reach maturity, flower, and reproduce. So, if I walk into the woods and pull a bunch of ramps from the ground, I’m likely not doing a great job of either stewarding the population in its own right, its place in the ecosystem, or ensuring future harvests for myself or other foragers. Alternatives, however, have been proposed. Many folks will speak of performing an honorable harvest, using only parts of the plant so it can still grow, as well as only harvesting a Edible Ethics TO HARVEST OR NOT TO HARVEST BY GABBY LOOMIS-AMRHEIN Garlic mustard leaves TEDDY PIERSON