TOPIC: looking for answers

I am new to the site and looking for roots. its started this year while looking for dry land fish now im interested in finding different types of plants and roots if its to sale or eat. anything up right now that can be picked or dug and what does ginseng look like right now in the spring? just any info would be great guys thanks.

I've found atleast a couple hundred wild seng plants now. I went out today and found a few new patches that I must've over looked last year.

It looks the same as it does in the fall. It just doesn't have a berry stem yet or berries yet. So you'll have to look for the plant if you wanna find any. Some are still little tho.

KY Colonel,

Ginseng should only be harvested in the fall and you only dig mature plants - 3 prongs or better and (after it has produced red berries) which you re-plant to ensure the survival of the seng in your digging areas.

Plant those red berries about 3/4 inch deep and cover with some top soil and leaf mulch.

In KY the seng digging season opens August 15 (same as here in TN).

Things you can pick/harvest now and eat would include shrooms like the dry land fish (morel's) and other varieties that are good to eat. And in the spring a couple of my other favorite things to pick and eat are wild turkeys and small mouth bass

Down here in TN the seng has been up for a few weeks now.

Here is a pic I took last weekend of a small patch I found last year. Last fall there was one small 3 prong and several nice 2 prongs in this patch - this year they are looking better but I still would not harvest them at that size. Will wait another year or two for them to get a bit more age and size to them, but now this fall I will visit this spot and collect and plant any red berries I find on the plants.

Best of Luck to you !

TNhunter

KY Colonel,

Here is a bit more info.

Check out the video of our friend Billy (who is from KY also). He shows how to properly dig a real nice 4 prong seng plant/root and how to plant the berries.

www.wildgrown.com/index.php/Ginseng-Videos.html

Billy also has a youtube channel with some excellent video's on seng hunting.

www.youtube.com/ginsenghunter1

I have several youtube video's on seng hunting and a couple on planting wild simulated ginseng on my youtube channel.

www.youtube.com/yttnhunter

That will help get you started...

TNhunter

KY Colonel,

Check out TNhunter's post above.

I think you were inquiring about other edibles from the woods as well.
As far as other woodland edibles be careful. There are plenty of other edible roots and plant tops and berries that I harvest. However, never underestimate the potential for harm when consuming a root or plant top or wild fruit from nature. Many plants have look a-likes and some are very dangerous or even deadly to some people. Even so called edibles can have ill effects on some people. Many of the wild edibles should only be eaten in small quantities for a short period of time. There are also hundreds upon hundreds of other medicinal plants in the woods and the opinions for their uses vary depending on the source. Many wild edibles and medicinal plants are as strong as over the counter medications and some as strong as prescription medications. So keep this in mind.
Further more many of the plants that are edible are only edible depending on how they are cooked or prepared.
I thought about giving you some edible plant names to look for but you should buy a book on woodland edibles, research on the internet with comparing pics and talk to others that may be foraging in the forest for wild edibles. Word of advise thou, please note that just because it is on the internet does not make it a fact. Many plants are misidentified and mislabeled on the internet as well as their uses.
It can be a lot of fun but very dangerous all in one. So go slow and do your homework first.

It sounds like you have the desire to increase your knowledge of the woods and what they can offer. The woods are really interesting to me and to many outdoorsmen. So I wish you the best in the great outdoors.
Latt

Thanks guys for the info. I am going to get the book Peterson field guide to wild plants and going to try to lean more from some people I know that have been doing it their entire life. It?s a lost art I want to pass down to my son and I always enjoy doing things I feel connects me to my grandparents. Its been a way of life in eastern ky to live off the land and I feel its something I should try to lean more about.

what county are you in colonel?

Letcher co