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By Root 833 0

floor in search of Skunk Cabbage. A tough canvas jacket will keep you snug and protect your arms and torso from spiny stalks as you walk through forests and pull roots like those of Oplopanax horridum from the ground, or when you dig Blackberry roots from the earth in the spring or fall. A lightweight, long-sleeved cotton shirt worn during hot sunny days of harvesting will greatly assist your body to retain water and avoid dehydration. A variety of favorite hats protect harvesters from a hot sun, as well as from cold, rain, and the end products of bird peristalsis.

I suggest you purchase the best-quality equipment you can possibly afford. High-quality tools serve you better, are safer to use, and if taken care of will last significantly longer. The key phrase here is, if taken care of. Attention to details like keeping hands, feet, head, and torso protected and healthy; keeping blades sharp, not pushing any tool past its limits, wiping tools dry after use, cleaning and oiling them regularly, and storing them in dry places out of direct sunlight will assure you a functional, co-independent relationship with your harvesting equipment. It appears to me that inanimate objects have sensitive spirits too, and like animate objects they respond positively to any regard and attention you give them. All in all, pampered, high-quality equipment ends up being less expensive, safer, and more enjoyable to use.

In addition to body-protecting paraphernalia, you will need equipment and tools with which to cut, whittle, scrape, dig, and carry stuff in. Pruning shears, a knife, a trowel, and paper bags will do.

In my experience, the best pruning shears are Felco® brand. The makers of these cutters offer a gratifying variety of ergonomic styles for both left-handers and right-handers, and for hand sizes of men and women. Be keenly aware when using shears that they are known to bite the hand not holding them.

EQUIPMENT

Gumboots

Gloves

Canvas Jacket

Long-Sleeved Shirt

Pruning Shears

Pocket Knife

Trowel and a Hori Hori

Paper Bags

Sturdy Basket with a Large Handle

Water Bottle

Plant Guide

Harvesting Information Chart

Lavendar Essential Oil

I also retain the services of a qualified pocketknife at all times, one whose blade will lock open during use. (It’s a painful slice of life when a foldable knife blade suddenly closes down on one’s fingers.) I carry this little tool to help me deal with those spontaneous odd jobs that inevitably arise during harvesting and gardening and for innumerable supplementary tasks such as removing soil from under fingernails, cutting large bars of chocolate, fending off bears, unwrapping Valentine gifts, and so forth. A companion pocketknife is an essential tool for an independent being. I’m not talking about a clunky foreign army version that includes fold-out dishware and a car port, just a slim, little, pocket-friendly, one- or two- blade item. I guarantee you will use it throughout your medicine-making (and other) journeys—repeatedly. When someone asks me what gift to get for someone else, man or woman, I suggest buying him or her a cool little pocketknife (they’re trippy to shop for). But of course the superb suggestion is usually ignored and wanders off unappreciated.

My best trowel is made of beefy aluminum; its handle and blade are molded as a single piece, having a very sturdy shaft that doesn’t bend no matter how high the fervor of my determination escalates while digging. I also rely on a hori hori, which is a brilliantly designed Japanese root digging tool that is virtually indestructible. No one said digging roots was effortless, even with the plant’s permission, so be equipped.

The best paper bags to use are large, heavy-duty, recycled ones. Avoid using plastic bags; they retain heat and moisture and quickly compost (before you can get them home) the fresh herbs they contain.

A basket is also practical, especially one designed with a large stiff handle that arches over the top of the basket. You can stick your arm through the