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Collecting wild herbs is an interesting and fun experience in which you learn a lot about your natural surroundings along with the ability to use different flavors in your cooking and possibly provide a much less expensive opportunity to use herbal remedies.

The locations best for searching for wild herbs will often have guided tours and trips that educate you on the way to find the best and freshest herbs while avoiding those plants that may be poisonous or harmful in other ways. Many National and State parks will also lead groups through this process periodically throughout the year. This can be done as a fun group outing with friends or family, and it is a great way to spend a few hours together outside. If you are unable to find any classess or tours in your area, you can choose to use a guide book that you could purchase online or in a bookstore. Before doing so, be sure and look at reviews and rankings, so that you get one that others recommend. You also want to make sure that it covers the region in which you plan on collecting items, so that it is relevant to your context.

As you begin your search for herbs, mushrooms, and other plants that can be used in dishes or for health purposes, be sure to note those plants that are often mistaken for one another. Most guides and guidebooks should be able to provide you a "trick" to identifying what you have, but if you have any doubt, you should never put it into your body. If you are using a minimal amount, it is unlikely you will get terribly ill, but it is always ill-advised to eat something you don't know what it is!

You should also be aware of the time of day and time of year that are best for particular herbs. Some may grow year round like gingko biloba, but others may be seasonal in nature. Also know what part of the plant is going to be used and how much of it you actually need. You will have store the herbs somehow, so you should have space, and it is a waste for you to collect more than you will use before it dries out or becomes otherwise unusable. If you are using them as fresh herbs, place them in the refrigerator in bags or containers, and they will last about a week. Some last longer and others less.

Collecting herbs is a wonderful time outdoors, and it can be fun and exciting for everyone involved. The first time you can identify a particular type of mushroom, you will feel a great sense of achievement. Plus, you are saving yourself money and getting an education all at the same time. This knowledge can then be passed along to friends on camping trips, and it will be quite enjoyable!

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