Respect the plant and its habitat
- Avoid waste: only pick what you can reasonably consume
- Only pick a fraction of available plants (usually less than 20%)
- Harvest only the necessary parts (fruits, leaves, or flowers, for instance) without damaging the rest of the plant
- When picking leaves, pick less than a third of the leaves on the plant
- Never pick protected or endangered species
- Follow existing trails to the harvesting areas to avoid trampling the surrounding habitat
- Harvest at the right time of the year, when the species is least vulnerable
- Use recommended techniques and equipment to avoid damaging the plant (a berry scoop, for instance)
Know your plants
- Beware: certain edible plants have highly toxic, even deadly, look-alikes
- Refer to various books that include detailed photographs – Internet searches are best avoided
- Confirm your identification with an expert
- Enrol in a wild harvesting course (the Cercle des mycologues de Sept-Îles, for instance, offers introductions to mushroom gathering)
Adopt appropriate work methods
- Use clean instruments and a ventilated basket – avoid closed containers for mushrooms
- Don’t mix different species in a single container
- Learn about the best preservation methods for each plant
Pick in the right place
- Never harvest in protected areas (it’s illegal) or on private land without permission
- Avoid potentially contaminated places: roadsides, industrial property, land where pesticides might have been applied, polluted waters, etc.
Happy harvesting!
le Goût de la Côte-Nord magazine
June 2022 – Number 2
To learn more about the Côte-Nord terroir, get le Goût de la Côte-Nord magazine!
