Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Before trudging into the woods with dreams of foraging wild persimmons or mustang grapes, remember: leave some for the wildlife.

09—When you’re a gatherer, it’s kind of like being a hunter: you should only take what you think you can use; although, I have been known to get fourteen gallons of wild grapes.

Dyanne Cortez writes about gathering and using wild Texas fruit for the August/September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

15—Well, a lot of things grow in pretty wild places. So, you need to be aware of snakes; wear boots; be aware of your surroundings. You’re out in the field. There’s going to be sun; there might be poison ivy. You’re really out stalking the wild harvest.

Learn about edible Texas plants before going out; the Native Plant Society of Texas and the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center are great resources for that. Cortez, meantime, advises about where to find wild fruit.

24—It is not legal to collect any plant or plant part in a state park or a national park. It can be a challenge because you see this stuff in the parks and it’s very tempting, but you don’t do that. Go for private land; look in your own backyard. Ask your friends. It’s so much fun when it’s all done. It’s just really worth it, and it’s so neat to know what nature has to offer.

Dyanne Cortez’ article about gathering and using wild fruit is in the August/September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 18th, 2013 at 12:00 am and is filed under Education, TPW Mag. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.