To get the best out of your trips, you have to know the essential tools and supplies to pack for foraging. Every artisan has a specific selection of tools he can work with—you aren’t an exception as a forager. Having been a gatherer for two decades now, I suppose I’d be in a perfect position to offer you some packing advice, especially if you’re just starting.
I trust every tool on this list like an officer believes in his Glock, no jokes. Most of these tools have been on active foraging duty with me for 20 years, while the newest would have spent at least a decade. And, perhaps, you might find it interesting that each of these tools doubles as useful garden equipment as well.
And just as a quick reminder, ensure you and your friends or partners forage safely and ethically. This requires that you have explicit knowledge of the field you’re foraging on, be able to identify “good” and “bad” crops, stay safe as you gather, and, very importantly, practice sustainable foraging practices.
Remember, the key is to keep you—and Mother Earth—safe.
Now, down to business… here we go!
Pruners
Pruners are usually my first call when gathering herbs. They are handy for snipping through small branches, roots, twigs, and herbaceous stems. You’ll be using your pruners pretty often, so I suggest that you have a holster on your belt—where you can easily reach them. Like I mentioned already, pruners are essential tools to pack for foraging. If all you can afford is one tool, pruners are your best bet.
It is only right that your pruners cut through herbs proudly; you should, therefore, settle for a pair with strong, sharp blades. Also, an ideal pruner should have a comfortable grip or handle as well as a tip cover to keep you safe when you slip it in your pockets.
Keep your pruners sharp at all times. Do I need to remind you that poor pruners are party poopers?
Hori Hori
Also known as a Japanese garden knife or weeding knife, this tool looks exactly like it sounds: heavy, sturdy, and compact. Typically, hori-hori is useful for breaking up soils and digging up roots of grown crops. My weeding knife cuts through all types of soil, even clay. I, therefore, have very little to worry about when gathering.
A sturdy hori-hori makes foraging much easier due to the variety of functions it can perform. For instance, I use mine to transplant and divide roots as well as pry rocks out of the earth. Handling is also relevant, so ensure you buy a knife with padded handles or grips. One more thing, a holster will very much come in handy.
Here’s a crucial tip: buy a hori-hori with a covering at the base of the steel to stay safe in case the knife slips.
Digging Fork
This is my first go-to for digging up because it barely destroys roots as a spade or shovel does. The sturdy tines of a digging fork are highly useful for uprooting and loosening roots in the soil. A typical digging fork should have firm, square times in contrast to the bendable, flat ones of a hay or manure fork.
Digging forks may cost a fortune, but you should keep in mind that an excellent one will serve you for several years after.
As a plus, you can use your digging fork to harvest roots, loosen soil, and do some weeding in the garden.
Spade or Shovel
It is most likely that you have one of these in your garage or somewhere already. You, therefore, may not have to spend to get it. Nevertheless, if you have to buy, you can find used shovels in secondhand markets at very cheap prices.
Shovels may not be very necessary, particularly when you have your digging fork already. They are, however, significantly useful for excavating crops with large, deep roots, such as burdock. What else, they are your best tool for digging in heavily dense soils, for example, clay.
I suggest that you buy a shovel with a pointed blade and a long handle. This will make digging much more convenient.
Kitchen Scissors
Now, I know you already have a great pair of pruners, but they are not an alternative for kitchen scissors. To gather plants with tender stems like cleavers, chickweed, and violet, a pair of kitchen scissors is your recommended tool. Kitchen scissors are usually smaller in size and can hence reach areas that pruners cannot. Also, pruners are meant for much tougher stems and are likely to do a poor job here.
Assorted Baskets
An assorted basket is your handyman on your foraging trip as it serves more than one or two functions. Assorted baskets are usually a beauty to see. The primary purpose of a basket is to gather herbs and nuts as you forage. It is as well used to dry picked greens when you get home. An ideal basket should be wide and flat to keep herbs aerated while drying them. You can buy your assorted baskets from a thrift store. You might want to keep more than one.
Tubtrugs
Tubtrugs are similar to baskets in their functions, albeit that they are more suitable for plentiful harvests of greens like wild blueberry and elderberry. They are buckets you can conveniently carry. When using tubtrugs, it is advisable to have some water in the bucket to keep your herbs fresh while you return home.
Tubtrugs can be costly but are very durable. If you can’t afford one anyway, a 5-gallon bucket wouldn’t be a bad alternative.
Gloves
Don’t be too taken by the idea of feeling the earth while you forage as this can be quite tough on your hands. Gloves are commonly useful in prickly situations, such as when you’re harvesting a berry shrub or picking stinging nettles.
I suggest that you keep two pairs of gloves: a light one for fragile tasks and a thick one for times when the other does not get the job done.
Bottom Line
There are several tools and supplies to pack for foraging, and we have looked at the essential ones above. Other considerable options include a magnifying glass or loupe, a vegetable brush, compact chopping knife, and pruning saw. Depending on where and what you forage, it may not be necessary to pack all these tools on your next foraging trip.
Adam Lantelme
What do you think of multi-tool shovels? Are those good?
John Wick
This is a cool post. I have a multi-tool Shovel and I use it quite frequently. It works very well for me.