anyone else here a “senger” if so how did you do this year, and what did ya get for it if you sold already? pretty flat market. $100 green/$325 dry I dug 11.5 lbs in 4 days. paid for some new hunting stuff, and gas + more gas…
It’s funny you posted this. I was just talking with a guy at work about how I wanted to get into this next year. I’m in to Morels in the summer and Oak mushrooms in the early fall. Ginseng should be right up my alley. For all of you that are into this…..give a guys some pointers…. 
I haven’t picked in years, but I’m assuming that they are “done” for the year, aren’t they?
I have never heard of this. Sounds like a good way to get outdoors and make a few bucks.
There is a red fruit that grows in our woods in Harmony, but it is not Ginseng. Any ideas as to what that is?
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Jack in the Pulpit will produce a cluster of red berries on top of a green stalk about a foot tall. My woods is full of it.
Thats the one, I knew I had heard of it before. Thanks
yea there is a lot to know, just like anything, once your eyes are trained to find the leaf pattern in the forest floor amongst thousands of other plants; it’s not easy, but easier. Some people look for the red berries, some look for green plants, some look for the gold dried up ones. some people can only find one of those. I look for all three plus dried stalks, dried berry tassles etc. That is one part, also the soil and the positon of the woods, (example): east facing slope, well drianed soil, nuetral PH, canopy of forest. There are a ton of variables. typically i like east and north facing hillsides, have found it one west and south, just not as much. also gullys, ravines, “humps” in a hill, logged areas, this is tricky, as it depends on how long ago it was logged. Again, a lot of variables. sometimes you will find on top, or in a flat area. it’s usually sporadic in the woods, and very seldom is a woods loaded, unless stratifed seeds were planted at some point in the past. I attached a few root pics of a decent day in 2008 I will try to help out with some knowledge, it’s like a favorite fishing hole or hunting spot, won’t find too many people willing to share spots, techniques, etc. especially online, but the season is Sept 1- Dec 31 every year. Plants are 99% dead after the first frost. again, if you know what stalks look like you may find a few while out deer hunting or small game. I usually hit the season hard sept 1-10, then get ready for the archery season. as some of the private land i dig on, the landowners bow hunt and want minimal human activity in their woods, non hunter landowners don’t mind, but always get permission. one other thing it is very hard to find the regulations from the DNR. But a plant has to have 3 prongs with 5 leaves on each prong. Digging in State Parks, and SNA’s is illegal. State Forest land is ok. WMA’s require a permit. You must sell to a licensed dealer, or keep for personal use. Ginseng is federally monitored for export both nationally and internationally. So there is the down and dirty lowdown. a day of senging usually consists of getting up early, and staying late with long walks in rough/uneven terrain. it is great for early scouting is you have woods you hunt game on. oh and i mentioned prices, so basically it takes 3-4 lbs of green/wet ginseng (freshly dug) to equal a pound of dry, that’s why the price difference. most years it makes sense to sell green, but sometimes the market changes like in 2007 when I got $175/lb green in september, by Thanksgiving the dry was worth $700-900 lb . it’s a commodity and shipoped to Asia/China so their demand sets our price. enough for now, sorry to be long winded.
Very cool! Nice payback for what amounts to hunting. I like it.
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