This has probably been the longest span that I have not posted in a while. Truth is I have been feeling a little under the weather lately. Closer to the truth, I’ve felt like crap for about 4 days. But this post isn’t about that. Tomorrow, August 15, is the first day of Ginseng season in West Virginia. This is without a doubt one of my favorite times of the year. For me, it begins the downhill run to fall.
I have been out scouting around and this seasons lack of rain has had a definite impact on ginseng in the Bolt Mountain area. I have seen no plants with berries on them and the plant is a lot smaller making it harder to spot. I have talked quite a bit about the plant before but one thing I believe I have failed to mention is that the individual ginseng plants do not come up every year. The root may lay dormant for a couple of years before producing a stalk. Due to the lack of rain it is beginning to appear as if a lot of the plants in this area has decided to skip this season. That is kind of ok though because with a good rainfall season next year the plant will be literally everywhere. Only time will truly tell…
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Edit –
Looks like the Department of Natural Resources was trying to pull a fast one on the BackWoods Drifter. The season for digging ginseng now begins on Sept 1. I could probably write a three page post on how much this pisses me off. Instead, I’ll just say that the discussion on my part would run from West Virginia heritage through mountaintop removal and the reclamation process all the way to educated idiots.
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August 15th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Interesting post. This drought really has been a pain in the neck. I hope the weather pattern changes soon.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:00 am
Yeah same here Matt… was out again today and the woods are just a mess.
August 18th, 2007 at 11:20 am
Well I guess this is the year for me to try and find it then. The drought has been hard on our wild plants. Last year we had blackberries coming out of our ears, and a steady supply of mushrooms. NOt the case this year.
August 18th, 2007 at 11:23 am
oops I meant is not the year for me to find ginseng!
August 18th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
I have been very unsuccessful at finding ginseng this year in this area. I hate that too, but I still like to go look for it. Thanks for commenting Stephanie.