Ever spotted a chestnut tree in the spring only to forget where you saw it when fall finally rolls around? I sure have. And so I decided to create a foraging journal to help me keep track of my finds.

It has a section for each month, and enough room for me to note each find, it’s location, how much I picked, when I picked it and anything else that seems important. Now I have my own month-by-month foraging guide for my area, and a few less things to remember.

If you’d like to create your own foraging journal, you’re welcome to use mine. There’s a full-page version, if you prefer a large format, and a half-page version, if you’d like something a bit smaller. You can slide it into a full or half-size binder, fold it and staple it pamphlet style or even bind it. There’s lots of room to customize it to fit your needs. I’ll be using a half-size binder for mine, and I made each of my kids one of the pamphlet versions, complete with a laminated cover.

Half-Page Print Instructions: The pages are designed to print double-sided. If your printer has a built-in duplexing feature (it can be set up to print on both sides of a page). Just select the duplex option and the ‘flip on short edge’ option before you hit print. This will ensure that the pages are properly oriented. If your printer doesn’t do this, or that just sounds too complicated, simply print the odd pages first. Then, reload the paper into your printer (so it’ll print on the blank side); and print the even pages.

Full-Page Print Instructions Just hit print, and you should be good to go. If you’d like a spine for your binder, just print an extra copy of the cover, and cut a strip out to slide into the side of your binder.

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