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©2008 Alaska Herb Tea Co.
Anchorage, Alaska
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INTRODUCTION

Over fifty species of wild plants growing in Alaska can be foraged for food and income. They can be used or sold as botanicals, essential oils, foods, confections, food additives, flavoring agents, herb teas, pharmaceuti­cals, potpourri, dyes, cosmetics, florals and decorations. Various plant parts, depending on the species and industrial need, are used, including leaves, seeds, roots, bark, twigs, fruits, cones, seaweeds, flowers, rhizomes, sap and oil.

Foraging wild plants is an excellent way for families, individuals and groups to make supplemen­tal income, especially for those in rural areas where income opportunities are limited. Equipment needed for foraging is simple, initial investment can be small (mostly for drying equipment), and although definite skills are required, they can be learned by doing. The two key requirements for successful foraging are: access to large, dense patches of the right wild plants, and a willingness to work long hours outdoors. Many people find foraging to be very rewarding, pleasant summer employment - it involves some travel, they set their own hours, work at their own pace and enjoy the work. For some people, the work is so rewarding in itself - out in the fresh air, in beautiful locations, gathering healthy aromatic plants - the money is just a bonus.

With literally millions and millions of acres of these wild plants growing in Alaska, and with conscientious, conservation-minded harvesting, supply of these plants should never be a problem.

Furthermore, many of these plants are suitable for wild-cultivation, transplantation or farming, thereby increasing the supply and allowing a more competitive product price. Many, if not most, of these products are imported into America. Of course, berries grow very well in Alaska: blueberries, low-bush cranberries, rasp­berries, currants, strawberries, rosehips, salmonberries.

FORAGING

Foraging has always been a part of Alaskan life. People forage for food, for medicine, for fuel, for raw materials with which to make clothing and implements, for trade items and for cash. Foraging is a primary subsistence activity, along with hunting and manufacturing clothes, tools and implements. In modern times even the purest subsistence lifestyle requires some cash flow. Those who can't make money, or enough money, find themselves having to leave the bush to make money to live in the bush. Foraging provides another alternative for making cash near home.

Foraging is a land-use activity, and so the forager must be familiar with the land and what it offers as well as with the landowners and what they demand. Permits or permission should be obtained before harvesting on public or private land. Harvesting is not permitted on National Park lands. Permits from other public or governmental landowners can usually be obtained. Corporations may give you a notice of non-objection to use their land, may charge you, or may deny you permission. Getting the landowner's permission is a courtesy and it's the law.

The amount of money foragers make depends on their ability to locate large, dense patches of foragable plants, the energy and time they put into harvesting and their ingenuity at devising fast and efficient harvest methods.  Luck, in terms of weather, variable crop yields and market fluctuations will also affect the forager's income.

Foraging is traditionally a joyous activity. People sing and chatter while picking – sometimes to warn the bears away. Foraging elicits profound feelings of thankfulness, as the wealth of healthful, valuable plant life is offered to us gratis. It is good to be conscious of, or to ritualize, your feelings of thankfulness - these feelings will naturally lead you to be careful not to overharvest or decimate your patches, destroying the plant colony and your income. Your restraint when harvesting, and your efforts for conservation, revegetation and reseeding are wise investments in future harvests.