Harvest & process

Ginger

Zingiber officinale

When

Baby ginger at 4–5 months; mature knobs when leaves yellow.

Part

Rhizome

In the field

A pot you can dump. Wash, don’t peel until you use it.

Cure

Fresh in the fridge; or slice and dry at low heat until it snaps.

Store

Fresh weeks; dried coins a year in a tin.

Turmeric

Curcuma longa

When

When the leaves die back, late season.

Part

Rhizome

In the field

Fingers snap from the mother. Gloves — it stains.

Cure

Boil briefly if you want the traditional yellow, then slice and dry — or freeze fresh.

Store

Dried coins or frozen knobs. Always with fat in the kitchen cup.

Purple coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

When

Flowering tops in bloom; root in autumn of year 3–4 from a plant you grew.

Part

Root · Flowering tops

In the field

Do not dig wild stands. Garden root only.

Cure

Slice root. Dry until snap. Tops can hang.

Store

Root tin or a folk jar. Short courses are the old use.

Valerian

Valeriana officinalis

When

Lift roots in the second autumn after frost blackens the tops.

Part

Root

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Ashwagandha

Withania somnifera

When

Dig roots after berries form, before frost, about 150–180 days.

Part

Root · Occasionally berry (traditional)

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

When

Young leaf in spring; root in autumn of a known unsprayed plant.

Part

Leaf · Root

In the field

A long taproot. Wash well. Leaf for bitter greens; root for a dark roast.

Cure

Slice root thin. Dry until snap. Leaf as a green or a dry tin.

Store

Root a year; leaf less.

Lawns that were sprayed are not a harvest.

White willow

Salix alba

When

Young twigs in spring; peel bark from prunings, never girdle a trunk.

Part

Young bark

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Hang small bunches out of sun until the leaf shatters.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Licorice

Glycyrrhiza glabra

When

Autumn of year three or four. Leave plenty to regrow.

Part

Root

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Kava

Piper methysticum

When

Rhizomes after 3–5 years in the tropics.

Part

Peeled rhizome of noble cultivars

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Grow only noble cultivars. Do not prepare solvent extracts. Check your country's food-safety rules before serving others.

Goldenseal

Hydrastis canadensis

When

After 5–7 years, and only from a planted bed.

Part

Root and rhizome (cultivated only)

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Wild collection is restricted or illegal in many states. Grow from nursery stock; leave wild populations alone.

Reishi

Ganoderma lucidum

When

When the varnish cap has colored and the white margin has slowed, from a log or block you grew.

Part

Fruiting body · Sometimes mycelium (weaker triterpene profile)

In the field

Cut with a knife. Wild old conks can be bitter dust.

Cure

Slice thin. Dehydrate until wood-hard.

Store

Slices in a jar. Simmer, do not tea-bag.

Lion's mane

Hericium erinaceus

When

Needles long, still white, before they yellow and weep.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Cut clean. A second flush may follow.

Cure

Eat as food, or slice and dry.

Store

Dried chunks for broth. Fresh in the fridge a few days.

Turkey tail

Trametes versicolor

When

Young, pliable fans. Dry immediately.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Cordyceps

Cordyceps militaris

When

When clubs are orange and before they sporulate heavily.

Part

Cultivated fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Shiitake

Lentinula edodes

When

Caps still slightly convex, before they flatten and drop heavy spore.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist from the block. Don’t tear the bark of a log.

Cure

Eat fresh, or dehydrate until leathery-to-cracker.

Store

Dried caps a year. Soak, then cook — soaking water is broth.

Rhodiola

Rhodiola rosea

When

Roots after year 3–4.

Part

Root

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Witch hazel

Hamamelis virginiana

When

Leaf in summer; bark from prunings in autumn — never girdle.

Part

Bark · Leaf · Twig

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Hang small bunches out of sun until the leaf shatters.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Maitake

Grifola frondosa

When

When fronds are still tender, before they toughen.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Snow fungus

Tremella fuciformis

When

When the lobes are full and still white.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Burdock

Arctium lappa

When

Root in autumn of year 1, before the frost heaves it.

Part

First-year root · Young leaf (food, bitter) · Seed (traditional, stronger)

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Enoki

Flammulina velutipes

When

When needles are long and caps still tiny, before they splay.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Wood ear

Auricularia auricula-judae

When

When ears are full and still elastic, before they dry to crumbs on the log.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Astragalus

Astragalus mongholicus

When

Roots in autumn of year 3–4.

Part

Root

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Black cohosh

Actaea racemosa

When

Rhizome after year 3–4 from cultivated plants only.

Part

Rhizome

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Evening primrose

Oenothera biennis

When

Seed in year 2 when capsules dry; root in year 1 if you eat it.

Part

Seed oil · Young root as food

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Oregon grape

Mahonia aquifolium

When

Root from a mature cultivated clump in autumn — never strip a wild hillside.

Part

Root and rhizome · Berry as food

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Cinnamon

Cinnamomum verum

When

Bark from coppiced stems in the tropics after several years — not a first-season crop.

Part

Inner bark

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Hang small bunches out of sun until the leaf shatters.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

King oyster

Pleurotus eryngii

When

When the cap is still small and the stem is fat.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Almond mushroom

Agaricus subrufescens

When

While the veil is still mostly intact, like a button.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Poria

Wolfiporia extensa

When

Sclerotia after 1–2 years underground in specialist culture.

Part

Sclerotium (inner white)

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Morel

Morchella esculenta

When

When caps are still firm and the pits distinct. Cook the same day.

Part

Fruiting body, cooked

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Asian ginseng

Panax ginseng

When

Autumn of year 4–6 from a bed you planted. Never wild-dig.

Part

Root

In the field

Shade, leaf mold, patience. Mice vote first.

Cure

Wash, slice, dry until the center snaps — or steam red in the traditional way.

Store

Slices in a tin. Morning decoction.

Wild ginseng is a conservation problem in a bottle.

Eleuthero

Eleutherococcus senticosus

When

Root in autumn of year 4+ from a shrub you planted. Leave wild taiga stands.

Part

Root · Stem bark

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Galangal

Alpinia galanga

When

After a long warm season, lift a piece, leave the rest.

Part

Rhizome

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Lovage

Levisticum officinale

When

Leaf through the season; seed when umbels tan.

Part

Leaf · Stem · Seed · Root in old kitchens

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Wash, slice thin, dry until the center snaps.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Cramp bark

Viburnum opulus

When

Bark in autumn from a pruning you were doing anyway — never girdle a stem.

Part

Dried bark

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Hang small bunches out of sun until the leaf shatters.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Wild cherry

Prunus serotina

When

Fruit when black; bark only from prunings. Do not strip a standing wild cherry.

Part

Inner bark · Fruit (pits out)

In the field

Cut on a dry morning after dew lifts, from a plant you grew or a site you have a right to pick.

Cure

Hang small bunches out of sun until the leaf shatters.

Store

Whole, dark, labeled with the year. Crumble at use.

Nameko

Pholiota nameko

When

Clusters while the caps are still convex and glossy.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.

Pioppino

Cyclocybe aegerita

When

Clusters while caps are still convex, before they flatten and drop heavy spore.

Part

Fruiting body

In the field

Twist or cut from a block or log you grew. Wild fungi are not this bench.

Cure

Slice and dehydrate at 110–125°F until the piece snaps.

Store

Cool, dry, truly dry. A jar with a lid that seals.