What Does Wildcrafting Actually Mean?
Wildcrafting is the practice of harvesting plants, fungi, and botanicals from their natural, wild habitat — rather than cultivating them in controlled conditions. It's one of the oldest forms of human interaction with the natural world, and it remains at the heart of everything we do at Wild Find.
But wildcrafting done well is far more than simply picking things from the forest. It's a practice rooted in knowledge, patience, respect, and restraint.
Reading the Land
Before we harvest anything, we spend time simply observing. We return to the same places across seasons, learning how the land changes — where the chanterelles fruit after the first autumn rains, which hillsides the reishi favours, where the wild herbs grow most abundantly in the long days of summer.
This relationship with place takes years to develop. The forest teaches slowly, and we try to be good students.
Our Harvesting Principles
Take only what is offered freely
We never harvest more than a small fraction of what's present in any given area. For mushrooms, we leave the majority to continue their life cycle and spread spores. For plants, we take only the upper portions, leaving roots and the bulk of the plant intact unless the roots are the targeted harvest in which case we only harvest a small portion of the total root mass.
Protect the mycelium
The mycelium — the vast underground network of fungal threads — is the true body of the mushroom. We harvest carefully to avoid disturbing it, using knives rather than pulling, and replacing any disturbed soil or leaf litter.
Rotate our harvest areas
We never return to the same spot too frequently. By rotating across a wide range of locations, we allow each area ample time to recover and regenerate between visits.
Harvest at the right moment
Timing matters enormously. A chanterelle harvested too early hasn't yet released its spores. An herb harvested at peak flowering holds the highest concentration of beneficial compounds. We wait for the right moment, even when it means coming back another day.
From Forest to Product
Once harvested, our botanicals are processed as gently and quickly as possible to preserve their integrity. Mushrooms are carefully cleaned and dried at low temperatures. Herbs are dried in small batches, away from direct light. Oils are infused slowly, over weeks, allowing the plant material to fully express itself.
Every batch is small. Every product is made by hand. There are no shortcuts, because the forest doesn't take shortcuts either.
Why It Matters
Wildcrafted ingredients carry something that cultivated ones often don't — the full complexity of their natural environment. A chanterelle grown in the wild has adapted to its specific soil, climate, and ecosystem over countless generations. That complexity is expressed in its chemistry, its aroma, and ultimately in the products we make from it.
When you use a Wild Find product, you're not just using an ingredient. You're connecting with a specific place, a specific season, and a specific moment in the life of the forest.
That's what wildcrafting means to us. And it's why we'll never do it any other way.
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