Wild edibles should be harvested at their peak of freshness. If you can’t collect enough to use at one particular time then harvest & store it for later use. Many plants, acorns, & berries can be gathered & frozen. Seeds can be collected and dried. Fruit & berries can be made into jelly or syrup for long term storage. Some plants can be canned as you would pickles. Horsemint and other plants used for teas can be harvested and dried. Wild edibles should not be collected near roadsides or other areas that may contain pollutants or pesticides. Be sure to leave more than you take. You certainly don’t want to deplete your supply of the plant, or deprive the animals of their food source.

Most plants that are used as potherbs become bitter once they begin to flower and need to be picked when they are very young. It’s a good idea to be able to identify these plants from their vegetation. If you go to harvest them and they have already flowered mark the area or make a notation to yourself so that you can come back the following year to gather the tender young leaves.