Shopping for someone who loves foraging? Here are some of my favorite gift ideas—items I either use, love, or have on my own wish list. Many come from small makers, independent authors, and fair-trade sources, while a few can be found on larger marketplaces like Amazon. Wherever you shop, I hope these ideas help you support someone’s wild food journey.
Online foraging classes
Here at Wild Food Girl I offer many different online foraging classes for just $20 each. Learn edible weeds, mushrooms, berries, wild teas, pine nuts, wild grains, poisonous plants, and more. Or you can get instant access to all 21 classes with a subscription to WFG Learn, which includes all new classes delivered live on Zoom throughout the year too, plus 15 digital downloads with 700 pages of quirky, information-packed wild food tales penned by me and others.
Fruit Picker
A telescoping fruit picker makes apples, pears, and other fruit easy to reach—perfect for foragers on the hunt for feral fruit or other high-up wild goodies. During apple season I always travel with my fruit picker in the hopes of finding a neglected tree or a friendly homeowner with trees that need picking. Poles come in a range of extendable lengths up to 23 feet, although I’m quite happy with my 13-footer.
Book by Samuel Thayer
Every title by Sam Thayer is a gem. For in-depth plant accounts backed by exhaustive research and decades of experience, choose one of his first three: The Forager’s Harvest (2003), Nature’s Garden (2010), or Incredible Wild Edibles (2017). You’ll get everything you need to safely identify, forage, and eat the featured plants, while being inspired by his beautiful writing. Or dive into 700 edible species in Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern & Central North America (2023). Just be careful not to buy a similarly titled, AI-written knockoff.
Farmer’s Defense Protection Sleeves
I am so captivated by these artful, lightweight sleeves by Farmer’s Defense. They take up practically zero space in a pack and are UPF 50+, so they’re great to have on hand when you need to protect your arms from sun and scrapes. Plus, I like how they accentuate my muscles. Choose from a variety of fanciful designs and colors—all great for foraging, farming, or bushwhacking through the forest in style. Use code ERICA14353 for 10% off.
Hori Hori digging knife
A Japanese hori hori knife has become my go-to tool for digging roots in the field—especially when a shovel is not an option. The curved blade digs around root systems, and the stainless steel holds up pretty well in hard soil. I try not to cut roots as I dig, but with a straight edge on one side and serrated edge on the other, it cuts when you need it to. It’s lightweight and packable but also easy to strap to your waist. Use it for gardening or digging cat holes on camping trips too.
Winnowing Basket
Used worldwide to separate seeds from chaff, winnowing baskets make a great gift for anyone interested in traditional food processing. It’s taken practice to learn, but mine has become indispensable for turning wild-harvested seeds into usable grains and spices. It’s also beautiful, so I hang it on the wall when I’m not using it. Look for an authentic, fair-trade basket—you’ll support an Indigenous artist while getting something that actually works. I recently found some handwoven Munyumbwe winnowing baskets, similar to the one I use, at African Gallery Shop on Etsy; they work directly with makers to source authentic winnowing baskets.
Foraging & Feasting by Dina Falconi
This lush, illustrated volume combines beautiful botanical drawings and plant descriptions with a cookbook that invites you to use whatever wild ingredients you have on hand. Using a “master recipe” approach to beverages, relishes, soups, sandwiches, quiches, wild salads, desserts, and more, each dish offers a robust list of ingredient options, both wild and cultivated—so you can always make something delicious with what you foraged, no matter what you found that day. Find it at botanicalartspress.com
Acorn Bars
Yes, you read that right—acorn snack bars! Made from leached and ground acorns, these nutrient-dense treats make a delightful gift for the acorn-curious. They’re vegan, gluten-free, responsibly sourced, and come in several delicious flavors—all without a hint of astringency, which can be a problem with poorly processed acorns. The texture is dry and cookie-like rather than chewy. They’re quite sweet, so I think of them more as a treat or a dessert bar. My husband is devouring the samples we got. Find them at acornbar.com
Dandelion globe paperweight
There’s something about a dandelion seed head perfectly suspended in a sphere of clear resin that makes me feel like I’m staring into a crystal ball. I love how mine catches the light. It’s meant as a paperweight, but I can’t stop turning it over and over in my hands as I sit and think. Great for dandelion and art lovers alike. You can find a number of different artists selling these on Etsy.
Food mill
A food mill is great for anyone who wants to transform berries and small fruits into purées and sauces, removing the pesky seeds in the process. For years I forced chokecherries and wild plums through my hand-crank mill, which is very useful, but it works better for fruits with smaller or softer seeds. Then I was introduced to a chinois and pestle—great for fruits with larger, hard pits. I also have a mill similar to this tomato sauce maker that I adore for applesauce. We suction the base to a cookie sheet clamped to a table to keep it from popping up.
Navajo Ghost Beads
Ghost beads are made from the seeds of juniper (cedar) trees after the fruit has withered away. In Navajo (Dine) tradition, they are meant to protect against illness, nightmares, and negative energy—beautiful gifts for loved ones on a healing or spiritual journey. Choose from necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more. The pieces come with an information card explaining their cultural meaning, and all proceeds support the artist and her family. Find them in the Wild Food Girl Etsy store.
Hand lens
A great gift for foragers who like to look closely at plants and mushrooms, or those who want to use a botanical key for identification—which often requires magnifying tiny features like branched hairs. I have always used an inexpensive jeweler’s loupe like this one. I like that it has a light. You will need to replace the small batteries occasionally, but they are affordable.
Scissors
A simple, affordable stocking stuffer that’s always appreciated. Perfect for cutting wild greens in the field. You can never have enough scissors!
Herb-drying baskets
Wide, flat, shallow baskets are perfect for spreading out herbs and mushrooms to air-dry naturally—whether you’re in a humid region where you need to set them near a wood stove, or in the arid West, where you can just stack them on a bookshelf and be done with it. A good friend foraged mine from a second-hand shop, and they are one of the tools I use most often to process my harvests. Hunt thrift stores for these hidden treasures or Google some brand-new ones.
Rooted Apothecary: foraged & handmade
Founded by herbalist and author Briana Wiles, Rooted Apothecary offers handmade herbal remedies and foraged goods, including herbs and spices, teas, tinctures and elixirs, skincare products, and natural perfumes. You can order online or visit their brick-and-mortar shop in Crested Butte, Colorado or their new shop in Romeo, Michigan. Gift cards are available.
Gift Card for a live class
Want to do some foraging in Colorado? Consider a gift card to attend a live class with Wild Food Girl, starting in spring. Good for a hands-on foraging and cooking session up high in Fairplay, a wild food hike in Breckenridge, or a class in the Front Range—from Loveland to Arvada to Colorado Springs.
Whatever foraging gifts you choose, I hope they bring inspiration, curiosity, and plenty of adventure!
I just joined Amazon Associates, so I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn from Farmer’s Sleeves if you use the coupon.
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