How does early spring foraging compare to hunting for wild foods at other times of the year? Certain principles apply throughout the seasons, while others vary seasonally.

Always identify anything you’re going to eat with 100% certainty before you eat it. Collect edibles where they’re plentiful. If someone else has already thinned out a stand of plants, let the plants regenerate and collect elsewhere—it’s both more efficient and environmentally friendly to forage in a thicker stand of “weeds.”

Avoid collecting within 50 feet of busy roads, where lead and other contaminants accumulate. Also, avoid railroad right-of-ways, where herbicides may have been sprayed.

Treat the earth with respect. Never take more than you need. If you’ve been digging, refill any holes. Take such a small percentage that anyone following in your footsteps wouldn’t even notice that something’s missing.

Share what you’ve learned with any friends or acquaintances who may also love nature, and introduce children to supervised foraging—I’ve seen it transform their lives for the better.

Start eating wild foods slowly, and then gradually increase your portions. Allergic reactions or intolerance may result from any new food, wild or cultivated. About 1 out of 50 people, for example, will get nauseous when they eat daylily shoots. If they eat only a few bites, they’ll feel only a little queasy. Pigging out, on the other hand, may cause vomiting or diarrhea.