There is a panoply of wild treasures in Quebec, you can pick many aromatic plants that can be useful in the kitchen or in our case, for the production of recipes of herbs for alcohol. You don't necessarily have to know all the plants to go wild picking, you just have to get interested little by little, one plant at a time and your repertoire will gradually expand. However, the gathering of forest products must always be done with respect for the fauna and flora.

 

Here are some important tips for ethical and sustainable picking. First, make sure you only pick plants you are sure you recognize, as some plants are poisonous. Also, it is recommended that you pick plants in healthy, unpolluted areas away from cities, roads, pesticide-treated fields, etc. to ensure that your harvest will not harm your health. A plant whose flowers bear edible fruit can be eaten in its entirety and some plants even have virtues that can help the body to restore health.

 

In addition, we should only pick what we need, as not all plants are 100% unlimited resources. It is also preferable not to pick all the leaves of a plant, as this could harm the growth of the plants. Some fragile and slow-growing species are vulnerable, such as wild garlic and wild ginger, so avoid picking them too much. Also, these species are not allowed to be marketed in Quebec, which is why it is recommended not to pick them for personal consumption.

In addition, the right time to pick plants differs according to the part of the plant desired. For the leaves, it is mostly in the spring, as this is the time of year when they are full of active ingredients and nutrients. Then, to benefit from all the nutrients in the roots, it is recommended to harvest them in the autumn. As for the flowers, they should be harvested at the beginning of flowering, when the bud is in the process of opening. However, it is also possible to harvest the flower buds, which are the richest in minerals, vitamins and trace elements. 

Afterwards, you can dry your herbs and even freeze them to keep them longer and use them as they are out of season. Drying must be done quickly after picking, otherwise the leaves will wilt and lose their colour. It's a fairly simple process, but you'll just have to work on your patience, because it takes a long time.

First, clean the plants with a damp cloth and find a warm, dark and dry place to preserve them. Then, if you have kept the stems, you can make bunches of about 7 branches tied with string to hang them down. However, if you only have the ends of the plants (flowers, leaves, etc.) and you can't tie them into a bouquet, it's not the end of the world, just lay them flat with a space between each one to prevent them from getting mouldy. Finally, once the drying process is over, simply store your herbs in glass jars, away from light and moisture.

 

 

Some examples of interesting herbs for making gin at home

                                                                                                                          

Spruce (Conifer with round needles, take the pale, sweet shoots for a refreshing, non-bitter taste, pick the buds in mid-May)

 

Balsam Fir (Flat-needled conifer, particularly sensitive to pollution, so gather from coniferous forests far from cities. Needles and buds are a great source of vitamin C, while fir gum is very rich in minerals).

Canadian wild mint (Found in the alluvial section of the St. Lawrence shoreline, wetlands - ditches, roadsides, meadows, riverbanks, July-August or fall harvest)

 

Tea and wintergreen (Parts of the plant to be harvested: fruits, leaves, flowers. It grows in cool, moist soil in coniferous forests and is harvested from early July to mid-August).

 

Red clover (Very common in the fields, harvested early in the morning before the bees and insects gather them, contains a lot of minerals and proteins)

 

Balsam Fir (Gather seeds and leaves for infusion, found in large colonies in floodplains of lakes and rivers, July-August)

Lavender (Found in warm climates, dry soil. It is harvested from the end of June to the end of August, preferably on a dry and sunny morning).

 

Juniper berries (widespread in Quebec's boreal forests, harvested in the fall before winter, preferably with gloves on because the spines are prickly)

 

Plant identification guides are available to help you identify plants by their physical characteristics, including The Great Book of Aromatic Plants by Laurent Bourgeois, The Herb Bible by Stefan Buczacki and Aromatic and medicinal plants: 700 species N. ed. by Lesley Bremness. 

 

Also, if you are not completely comfortable starting to pick wild plants on your own, there are several places that offer workshops and introductory activities to familiarize you with picking. In fact, the website The Sowing Machine lists various trainers offering nature-related workshops. Also, you can browse the site Gourmet Sauvage to learn more about their workshops.