Simple income, Simple win-win- Try it, you will like it.

[OhioGrizzLapp]

I sometimes suppliment my income by gathering wild greens & herbs from all seasons for floral shops and gift basket makers. They use the greens as a decorative garnish for their wares of cut flowers and food/fruit baskets and door wreths. In the 3 seasons I gather ferns, grasses, wild flowers, cat-tails and reeds. In the winter I gather pines, vines and holly. You can probably come up with other greens to cut for use or selling.

The income is good, I get about $9.00 per pound of greens and it takes about 20 minutes to gather 3 pounds. It may be a different value where you are, but heck, what else are you doing for that 20 minutes.

I found 3 florists near me willing to buy my cuts and they are happy for it as their wholesale houses charge close to $15.00 a pound for their cut greens and mine are fresh cut and not held in a warehouse somewhere. Your florist will tell you how long they want the cuts to be.

My mail lady knows I do this and she helps by getting me thrown away twine cutters from the post office. I just sharpen them up and use them for cutting the greens.

These are the ring twine cutters she grabs for me from the trash. The USPO does not sharpen and re-use them, they get dull, they throw them away.

I have found that using the ring cutters is more efficient than using a pruning shear or knife. I add one to my day and BOB kits, they come in handy for gathering greens and herbs to suppliment my meals in the wilderness. The size is perfect and if needed they can be sized to yout finger by bending the ring.

I use twist ties to make small bunches that are very manageable and use a cloth shoulder bag to keep them in until I get them to the florist.

If your mail person will not grab these up for you, it would be easy enough to make a few out of a soup can(s) with tin snips, pop rivet & gun and a sanding block to dull the edges of the can cuts.

The ring twine cutters from the USPO after re-sharpening
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They just slip on like a ring
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Going in for the harvest pruning of a Holy Branch
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Beginning the cut, just make a fist and pull, perfect slant cut
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The harvest
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[BENESSE]

I sometimes suppliment my income by gathering wild greens & herbs from all seasons for floral shops and gift basket makers. They use the greens as a decorative garnish for their wares of cut flowers and food/fruit baskets and door wreths. In the 3 seasons I gather ferns, grasses, wild flowers, cat-tails and reeds. In the winter I gather pines, vines and holly. You can probably come up with other greens to cut for use or selling.

The income is good, I get about $9.00 per pound of greens and it takes about 20 minutes to gather 3 pounds. It may be a different value where you are, but heck, what else are you doing for that 20 minutes.

I found 3 florists near me willing to buy my cuts and they are happy for it as their wholesale houses charge close to $15.00 a pound for their cut greens and mine are fresh cut and not held in a warehouse somewhere. Your florist will tell you how long they want the cuts to be.

My mail lady knows I do this and she helps by getting me thrown away twine cutters from the post office. I just sharpen them up and use them for cutting the greens.

These are the ring twine cutters she grabs for me from the trash. The USPO does not sharpen and re-use them, they get dull, they throw them away.

I have found that using the ring cutters is more efficient than using a pruning shear or knife. I add one to my day and BOB kits, they come in handy for gathering greens and herbs to suppliment my meals in the wilderness. The size is perfect and if needed they can be sized to yout finger by bending the ring.

I use twist ties to make small bunches that are very manageable and use a cloth shoulder bag to keep them in until I get them to the florist.

If your mail person will not grab these up for you, it would be easy enough to make a few out of a soup can(s) with tin snips, pop rivet & gun and a sanding block to dull the edges of the can cuts.

The ring twine cutters from the USPO after re-sharpening
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

They just slip on like a ring
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Going in for the harvest pruning of a Holy Branch
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Beginning the cut, just make a fist and pull, perfect slant cut
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The harvest
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What a super tip and an ingenious idea all around!
LOVE it.

[crashdive123]

Neat idea. Might come in handy to suppliment an income, or for those that find themselves out of work for a bit. Gotta send a little rep your way.

[Rick]

Yeah, I have to agree. Pretty entrepreneurial on your part. Rep sent.

[OhioGrizzLapp]

Ok I have to ask....what is "Rep," and how does it work. None of the other sites I am at have it? Thank you for the rep BTW.., I think it might be good LOL

[crashdive123]

Ok I have to ask....what is "Rep," and how does it work. None of the other sites I am at have it? Thank you for the rep BTW.., I think it might be good LOL

Here ya go. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...out-Reputation It's change a little since it first started, but this will give you a good idea.

[rwc1969]

Definitely great tips, both the ring cutters and the source of income, thanks.

[Justin Case]

Great Idea ! (too bad i live in the desert, not too many greens things here)

Rep sent also

[OhioGrizzLapp]

JC, first thing that comes to mind is Sage & Cactus.... people in my neck of the woods cannot get either here and pay HUGE sums ($14.00) for simple 3" sage bundles for so called Native American cerimonies and none of these folks have not even seen a Native American unless it is in movies.

[OhioGrizzLapp]

This morning, I gathered 3 pounds of Holly and about 50' of small (twine like) last years vine from a few maple trees. Took less than 1/2 hour and just a lil bit ago dropped them off at the florist and made $53 cash. I always call them first to see what they may need and if avail, I deliver it with in the hour, all packed in a few crushed ice cubes inside a clear dry cleaner bag. They are happy, I can now buy some more reloading stuff......

[OhioGrizzLapp]

Justin.... I checked with a florist..........if you have Agave (with the top and side spikes still on), small tiny catus, mesquite roots and or flowered bush as well as dried out/weathered wood,, skulls, dried scorpians etc... all of those items are used for flower and arrangement displays.

[Rick]

He said DRIED scorpions. Don't be sendin' no real ones.

[crashdive123]

Have you seen the latest USPS efficiency reports.......they'll be dry by the time they arrive.

[Rick]

OMG. Now that was funny.

[OhioGrizzLapp]

Yikes, I have noticed the mail has ben running real slow actually, 2-3 days longer than usual. Yeah, no live ones dang it......I have enough issues with stingy things here LOL

[randyt]

very interesting. I mostly cut balsam boughs for wreaths and such, not much anymore though. A couple guys could make a $150 a piece per day. It's not as profitable as your picking but if that's what's available, that's what's available LOL. Morel mushrooms can be profitable too. I usually eat all I find though. Then there's my first love, trapping. Success in that depends on a lot of factors.

[OhioGrizzLapp]

Although I have been asked to by some local eateries... I refrain from shrooms selling.....

Yeah Balsam is a huge hit, especially old growth areas with the really distinctive stuff. One real huge hit are Japanese Honey Suckle plants, not just cuttings. The stuff is rampant here along fences. Lilac cuts are popular too. Like I said, I just do it when I need a lil more cash in my pocket for something. A dedicated person to it could make a very good income, easily enough to keep a family afloat very comfy like.

One of my newest clients is a place callee "Edibles to Go," a place that delivers fresh fruits and foods. They like getting berry stems with berries on them rather than just picked berries. They also like wild spear and peppermints of which the stuff is almost taking over empty lots here in spring.

[randyt]

I remember as a kid ginseng was a nice little moneymaker. Does ginseng grow in your area? I'm not sure if it grows here, I've not seen any. then there's pine cones and such. There is a base south of me, at times brass could be picked up for scrap. that's getting away from wildcrafting. On the upside with the increase in scrap prices the woods around here have "lost" some of it's old junk that folks dumped years back. I'm still looking for a old studebaker to pull some leaf springs from.

[OhioGrizzLapp]

About 1995 I did ginsing....its use has exploded and many people do the buy, sell and grow ginsing, if you find a couple specific customers with a good volume use it is still good. So many people are into it now, very hard market to make any real money in.

Another good one is Amadu Mushroom... BUT, what it is used for is by fly fisherman. When shaped and glue to matching pieces of leather, they are used to dry off dry or surface fishing flies by pressing the fly between two pieces and the Amadu instantly dries the fly off. When you find it, there is a huge bunch of it, but finding those bunches is like finding hens teeth.

I have found however that just providing flrists with the basic greens and garnishments is very easy, not too taxing physically wise (good for those in physical rehab for work injuries and such) and instantly profitable because you ask the florist what they need upfront, no selling you have to do. I always give them more than what I say is there, this insures they get theirs from me. Real soon a plant called "Babys Breath" will be available and they buy that by the 5 pound bundles for $50 and the stuff grows like grass in a few places here. The same goes for "Black Eyed Susans" and "Ferns" of any kind.

Of all the things I do to make supplimental income... this method of gathering greens and making the rustic benchs are the two most profitable, easy to do income makers. The hiking sticks are also good, but are more involved but still almost pure profit.

If your postal folk will not get you a few of the rings, you can buy them here at http://www.costumeshop.us.com/balloo...-2890-prd1.htm

they seem kind of expensive for what they are though..........

Ok, found a Vinyard supplier that has them for $2.50 and in different sizes.

http://www.midwestvineyardsupply.com...ife&Type=False

In searching for these, I found out they were orig made by Bates USA, then came upon Handy Knife Company, they make these in metal and plastic. At $2.50 you can afford a few of these if the post office person will not score some for you.

[hunter63]

Man, I don't know how I missed this thread, but great idea, and cool little knife.
Thanks.