Bee-lining
by JP
Ever hear about the old-time skill of finding wild honey? All you do is find yourself a bee…and follow him home. Really! It works.
Of course, there’s a knack. It takes a keen, savvy eye and maybe longterm patience. You’ll lose that bee, then have to wait until you see another. Eventually, though, they’ll lead you to their hive, and a honey-packed comb in some hollow stump.
My memory of both old lore and what my uncle told me gets fuzzy here. Do you then take the comb? Part of it? …Leaving the bees to fill in the gap so you can come back for more? Do you take the swarm itself to bring back to your own super? I dunno, but bee-lining used to be a woodsman’s skill, and contributed to his trade and larder. This along with ginseng and goldenseal root gathering.
Of course, nowadays we have morels and maybe a couple other mushrooms we could hunt for and both sell and eat.
Does anyone know of anything else that’s kind of a foraging trade? –Other than teaching seminars!
I suppose most things one can do can be a trade. I’m sure there are many places where you could hunt and fish and sell your catch to a local restaurant. It’s legal in many places; there are special permits to be acquired in others. Of course, you’d probably have to do without the ole security that money brings. –Food today, but what tomorrow?
