"The more freedom we enjoy, the greater the responsibility we bear, toward others as well as ourselves."
- Oscar Arias Sanchez

Edible Earth's Rules for Responsible Foraging

 
Be a good citizen of the Edible Earth. Keep the following in mind and you'll be foraging ethically and responsibly.

1. Don't be greedy. Only pick what you need. If you are picking more than you can eat in one sitting, you are being greedy.

2. Don't over pick. Don't harvest everything on the plant. Make sure there is enough left for other foragers as well as animals and birds.

3. Respect the source. Don't destroy the structure of the plant that you are collecting from. For example, don't break branches of a tree you are harvesting from. Don't remove whole plants by the root.

4. Respect the earth. Don't overly trample or otherwise destroy habitats on the way to your source. Stick to public rights of way. Don't pick anything endangered. Your government environmental agency will usually have a list of protected plants.

6. Respect each other. Don't pick anything which is on private land. If you find an abundant source on private land, ask the owner. They are probably tired of eating it, but ask first.

7. Be safe. Don't pick anything you are not 100% sure is edible. Don't pick items that are near busy highways or could be polluted by man or other environmental hazards. Clean your produce thoroughly after harvesting.

Have we forgot anything? Contact us to let us know about rules we can add.