Dear fellow members of r/foraging, with all respect (but in all seriousness) I would humbly say that this sub needs to be more closely managed (Mods, help?) to encourage new foragers to follow best practices.

We all must begin somewhere, but the level of basic plant ID skills AND common sense on r/foraging is really concerning to me. People, foraging is not wandering through nature blissfully eating random shit and seeing what happens! Instead, people please, please PLEASE:

​

1. Be proactive about reading actual books from reputable sources. Learn how to use local field guides. If you're new, perhaps start with "Wildman" Steve Brill's books. You should do this for a year or two before taking stuff home to eat. The learning curve should be respected, for your health and environmental responsibility. Do not get all your information from the internet. Do not trust TikTok. Use critical thinking.
2. Excercise common sense. People know what is edible and what is not based on experience. I understand that we need periodic Darwinian reinforcement for why, say, we don't carry home random leaves and brew them into tea, only later bothering to learn that they are ivy, but you mostly seem like nice people. I don't want any of you to sicken or kill yourself. And there are many, many plants and fungi that will sicken or kill you.
3. Be patient. This is a lifelong pursuit. You will enjoy it much longer if you are not ill, paralyzed, or dead from failing to heed points 1. and 2. above. Be slow. If in doubt, don't pick or harvest. Wait until next year. I know the excitement of a find, or of the possibility of a find. I still feel it. After 25 years of foraging and eating wild foods, I'm still getting excited, still feeling that thrill when I find choice edibles or when I make a medicinal tincture to use through the year. It's wonderful. But cultivating patience really matters. Don't post requesting an ID until you have a strong candidate from reputable sources, and are looking for input or confirmation.

I am not trying to be "the PSA Guy" for this sub. Truly. One of my favorite things is taking new foragers into the woods and introducing them to the wonders of this way of living. But I am really concerned that someone, completely out of excitement about the joys of foraging, is going to have something really serious and totally avoidable happen to them.

Please, let's all be more patient and careful!