Wildcrafting ??

[Guest guest]

Butch Owen <butchbsi writes:

> potatoes, tomatoes and the many plants that grow wild

> in

> the USA now but were once cultivated .. after being brought to the

> New World by folks from Europe.

 

I thought plants in the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers)

were indigenous to the New World and taken to Europe . . . am I making

this up? (don't think so, but then, I'm no expert . . .)

 

Oh, and there are lots of traditional " Native American " folks who believe

that they originated here, too. And there seems to be some genetic

evidence that the Bering Strait migration theory is only applicable to a

limited number of western hemisphere people (the northern folks - Inuit,

Aleuts, Navajo [not northern now but genetically related and their own

storeis say that they came from the north] - are genetically related to

Siberian tribes). More contemporary anthropological theories posit that

most western hemisphere folks may actually have been in what's now South

America area before the land masses separated and migrated north.

They're actually closer genetically to southern and eastern Asians than

to the Siberians.

 

Interesting stuff . . .

 

rox

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Well, Butch...that was quite a ditty there with your interpretation of the

meaning of wildcrafting. The way I seeze it is that it means harvesting a plant

that is growing wild and not planted by mankind as far as you can tell. Like

Jackie said, it could even be a dandelion growing in the city

sidewalk...although I prefer the fresh air out here to find my goodies. And yes,

we need to be responisible wildcrafters because some have just plundered whole

areas like with the Native American Ginseng. Very rare to find anymore. I'm glad

most people live in the city and haven't the foggiest idea of what it means.

 

That said: I'm sure that some of the best plants are farmed with organic love

for harvesting purposes. Gee, I'm fairly a newbie...what do I know.

Diana of Dewberry Hill

 

 

 

 

SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!

 

 

[Guest guest]

, Butch Owen <butchbsi@s...> wrote:

 

Hi Butch

For some reason I didn't get this via email when you sent it to the

group, but I saw some responses, so I meandered over here to the

website, so I could post some comments ....

 

 

> > Would love to have some more of that hydrosol and try the EO.

> > And welcome to the group.

> >

> > Now, not meaning to be a snotty nosed kid, but how does one wildcraft

> > herbs that aren't native to the region?

> > David Roman

>

> How does one wildcraft anything? Seems to me if we get involved then it

> ain't wild no more - huh?

 

Yes, they are wild, you are entered the uncultivated area to collect

them. Pretty much like if you were hunting and bagged an elk in the

wild.. just because you 'got involved' doesn't mean the animal wasn't

wildlife. Undomesticated. Non-farm.

 

Butch responded.

> On this " wildcrafting " .. long ago I searched for a defination of

this term .. but can't find one that is legitimate .. if someone can

give me some help it would be appreciated. Referencing someone's web

site can't be considered legitimate - but y'all knew that - huh?

I think it might be a term coined in Aromatherapy by some writer and it

caught on .. maybe I'm wrong.

 

No, Butch, it didn't come from aromatherapy, it came from herbalism,

where wildcrafting was the original way to gather herbs and plants,

and continues to this day. On every continent, to this day, elders

teach their people about going out into the uncultivated areas to

collect plants for healing. They may have their veggie garden, but for

the most part, they still gather their medicines from the barks and

roots and other plant parts.

 

> give the impression that the plants were harvested with tender loving

> care by virgins in long flowing veils whilst asking forgiveness from the

> plants and chanting Hari Krishna.

 

Now you're getting silly, Butch. And in some circles, like the Native

American ones, where they offer prayers to the spirits of the plant

before harvesting, you may be insulting them. Or, in my instance, when

I have to hire a wildcrafter in Oregon to go out into the wastefields

to gather 'weeds' and have them shipped at great expense, on ice, to

me in Miami, they may be wearing overalls, drinking whiskey and eating

a tuna fish sandwich between cutting the herbs.

 

All wildcrafting means is that you're harvesting the plant from an

area where it grows wild, not a farm, not a garden. Period.

 

what is wild? I'm thinking that the only crafting we

> will find involving wild plants is at the still .. I'm thinking that

> wild is simply a plant or critter that is growing without help from

> human critters. I'm thinking there is no need to complicate this. We

> have enough words for it now .. feral and such .. them that were once

> wild were tamed and then returned to the wild.

 

Yes, now you're on the right track. I snipped the stuff about

'peasants', as most of the world is 'peasants' who try to make a

living anyway they can, as you noted. My harvester isn't a peasant

according to his definition, he's a 'burned out old hippie'. I agree.

 

>

> How long does it take for a plant to be considered " native? "

 

Native or introducted species.. has nothing to do with the definition

'wildcrafted.' Just wanted to add that.

 

h

> origins but when does it become native to a particular region .. same

> for bananas, potatoes, tomatoes and the many plants that grow wild in

> the USA now but were once cultivated .. after being brought to the

New World by folks from Europe.

 

OK, now I think you've been hanging with the 'burned out hippie'

wildcrafter :-) You flipped the continents... Solanaceae plants came

from the New World and travelled back to Europe. But you knew that,

you were just having a brain burp. Happens to the best of us!

 

Anya

[Guest guest]

Excuse the typos and such in my previous post on this subject.. just woke

up, and the type on the website is smaller than my mailreader, hence the

lack of good proofing. " Introducted " for sure.. anyway, I think my

thoughts and comments still made sense, unless otherwise contradicterated!

ha.http://member.newsguy.com/~herblady

©

[Guest guest]

Butch, Anya, Diana and David

 

This discussion has been an education for me. I have to laugh as I am a

Native American Choctaw. We also have Native American Irish and I do not harvest

my plants with tender loving care. I just use common sense as to where, what

and how much I harvest to insure they are there again for next season. I also

find the promotion of being Native American or having some spiritual insight

into to this as offensive when it comes to your profit margin. I do not sell my

heritage or way of life. I have not sold my herbs to date as they are for

family use. My view of the " craft " is, much of what I harvest and how I

harvest

it was taught to me by my grandmother. I knew no one else who knew what she

did so I viewed it as a craft or a real gift. I was asked to be part of a

producers group starting in this area for essential oil production. They wanted

me to share my knowledge of our wild herbs and those I grew. They will be

growing the herb on river bottom land here. They will not be producing

essential

oil from wild herbs. I agreed and thought I would join this list to learn

more on essential oil. I thought I might try to use some of my wild herbs for

essential oil. I have a still being made for me to use at home. If you feel

there is a better suited list for me to join to learn about essential oil, send

it to me. I have not taken offense to what has been said, just a little

bewildered by the response I got when joining. I guess the next time I join a

list

I should consider my wording of who I am a little better. Jackie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hey Anya,

 

> Hi Butch

> For some reason I didn't get this via email when you sent it to the

> group, but I saw some responses, so I meandered over here to the

> website, so I could post some comments ....

 

Stuff happens on the I-Net.

 

> > > Now, not meaning to be a snotty nosed kid, but how does one

> > > wildcraft herbs that aren't native to the region.

> >

> > How does one wildcraft anything? Seems to me if we get involved

> > then it ain't wild no more - huh?

>

> Yes, they are wild, you are entered the uncultivated area to collect

> them. Pretty much like if you were hunting and bagged an elk in the

> wild.. just because you 'got involved' doesn't mean the animal wasn't

> wildlife. Undomesticated. Non-farm.

 

The term and its origin has been adequately explained .. in any industry

or occupation folks define their own terms and as long as folks in that

industry or occupation understand them it works But I don't think we

have yet extended the term to include the bagging (harvesting) of wild

game. ;-p

 

> Butch responded.

> > On this " wildcrafting " .. long ago I searched for a defination of

> > this term .. but can't find one that is legitimate .. if someone can

> > give me some help it would be appreciated. Referencing someone's

> > web site can't be considered legitimate - but y'all knew that - huh?

> > I think it might be a term coined in Aromatherapy by some writer and

> > it caught on .. maybe I'm wrong.

>

> No, Butch, it didn't come from aromatherapy, it came from herbalism,

> where wildcrafting was the original way to gather herbs and plants,

> and continues to this day. On every continent, to this day, elders

> teach their people about going out into the uncultivated areas to

> collect plants for healing. They may have their veggie garden, but for

> the most part, they still gather their medicines from the barks and

> roots and other plant parts.

 

I understand what indigenous folks do world-wide .. wrote a long post on

that a few years ago on Idma .. course I reckon all my posts are sorta

long. ;-) And though I'm not into herbalism I was forced to help my

grandmother collect wild plants when I was young .. I always thought she

was a witch .. probably was. I guess the term " wildcrafting " is fine

for English speakers as long as they all agree on use of the term. :-)

 

> > give the impression that the plants were harvested with tender

> > loving care by virgins in long flowing veils whilst asking

> > forgiveness from the plants and chanting Hari Krishna.

>

> Now you're getting silly, Butch.

 

Not really. Check a few more sites. There are some that get real close

to that. When someone sells an essential oils produced from plants that

were harvested with tender loving care I think it is hogwash! I went to

an extreme to explain a marketing technique used in some circles.

 

> And in some circles, like the Native American ones, where they offer

> prayers to the spirits of the plant before harvesting, you may be

> insulting them.

 

That's not possible Anya! First, they aren't collecting many tons of

aromatic materials .. secondly, I am very familiar with the REAL Native

Americans .. I mentioned briefly what my religious leanings were. I

just don't try to commercialize my beliefs like some white folks and

even some Indians. Yep .. Indians. That is, until the American Indian

Movement (AIM) decides to call itself the NAM.

 

> Or, in my instance, when I have to hire a wildcrafter in Oregon to go

> out into the wastefields to gather 'weeds' and have them shipped at

> great expense, on ice, to me in Miami, they may be wearing overalls,

> drinking whiskey and eating a tuna fish sandwich between cutting the

> herbs.

 

Understand .. but this appears to be an incomplete sentence .. I cut it

from the one on Native Americans so I guess the flow of your suggestion

was intended to apply here too. ;-p

 

> All wildcrafting means is that you're harvesting the plant from an

> area where it grows wild, not a farm, not a garden. Period.

 

OK .. I can live with that. But I will continue to list my EOs that are

distilled from wild grown plants as: WG: Wild-grown - Self-propagating

- uncultivated - harvested by hand in the wild.

 

Because I don't think there was any crafting involved in their harvest.

 

> > what is wild? I'm thinking that the only crafting we will find

> > involving wild plants is at the still .. I'm thinking that wild is

> > simply a plant or critter that is growing without help from human

> > critters. I'm thinking there is no need to complicate this. We

> > have enough words for it now .. feral and such .. them that were

> > once wild were tamed and then returned to the wild.

>

> Yes, now you're on the right track. I snipped the stuff about

> 'peasants', as most of the world is 'peasants' who try to make a

> living anyway they can, as you noted. My harvester isn't a peasant

> according to his definition, he's a 'burned out old hippie'. I agree.

 

Hawhawhaw .. here and in most countries that recognize a peasant class,

the peasant is as proud of being that class as an Irishman is of being

Irish or a Suthran boy of being Suthran. Its certainly not seen in as a

negative term of description. In fact, the politicians like to boast of

their peasant upbringing, etc. ;-p

 

> > How long does it take for a plant to be considered " native? "

>

> Native or introducted species.. has nothing to do with the definition

> 'wildcrafted.' Just wanted to add that.

 

Makes all kinds of sense that does. Still, I wonder how long it takes

for something to be considered native. Maybe if we substitute the term

indigenous for native it might be easier .. cause everything that grows

wild in the USA is native .. that is, if it is the offsping of a parent.

 

> > origins but when does it become native to a particular region ..

> > same for bananas, potatoes, tomatoes and the many plants that grow

> > wild in the USA now but were once cultivated .. after being brought

> > to the New World by folks from Europe.

>

> OK, now I think you've been hanging with the 'burned out hippie'

> wildcrafter :-) You flipped the continents... Solanaceae plants came

> from the New World and travelled back to Europe. But you knew that,

> you were just having a brain burp. Happens to the best of us!

> Anya

 

Yep .. I knew that .. and its the reason I split the sentence with what

I thought was a sufficient break in though .. and the many plants. But

I don't think I could deal with burned out or live wire hippies. ;-p

 

Y'all keep smiling, Butch http://www.AV-AT.com