Our Philosophy
We raise our herbs and flowers organically in our gardens and as nature provides in the WildCraft Forest. We use what we grow to make simple, natural products. Striving to care for our environment and set an example for leadership and responsibility.
Wildcrafting does not have to wait for something useful to grow in an area. We can add elements that will become productive over time. Herbs can be introduced to grow in right-of-ways; fruit or nut trees may be planted in wild areas. Any area of derelict or marginal land has the potential to grow things that are suitable for wildcrafting. While we do not necessarily wish to cultivate and farm these areas, scattering seeds of things we might wish to harvest to see if they will take advantage of a location is certainly permissible.
About Wildcrafting
Wildcrafting is the practice of harvesting and using wild materials for food, construction and craft. The kinds of things people might find are mushrooms, driftwood, flowers, feathers, rocks, shells, grains, saps, quills, clay, wicker, burls, seaweed, weeds, nuts, food, herbs, berries, seeds, cones, roots, bark, dye, antlers, fur, bones, leather, teeth, mosses and ferns. And, that list is just a good start. Wildcrafting is the art of using 'found' materials we never take the life of an animal, nor will we hurt animals in any way.
In wildcrafting we are gleaning the bounty of the Earth and doing so with humility and thankfulness. Some guidelines might temper our approach:
Take only what you need
Ask first and plant in return
Perform a ritual of thanks
Use caution in your harvesting so as to not hurt the plants
Respect the boundaries of your harvest
Never take ALL of everything; collect in swatches
Don't take the best; leave the best seed stock for the future
Help the patch to grow; spread seed in vicinity
Harvest natural stands; bring some to cultivation.
Enhance natural stands; get seeds from as close as possible
The WildCraft Forest is an Ecomuseum and Interpretive Forest, which includes a Sculpture Trail. We're located on Highway 6 in the Monashee Region of British Columbia just on the edge of the North Okanagan, one hour from Kelowna and 30 minutes from Vernon.
For Guided Tours call us at 250-547-9812
