The Honourable Harvest
As August ripens into harvest time, the season itself reminds us of reciprocity: to ask, to honour, to share, and to give back. To live well is to live as part of the circle of giving, sustaining the ones who sustain us.
In a world where consumption often outweighs care, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s words from Braiding Sweetgrass call us back to a more sacred balance. These teachings remind us that every act of taking—from the earth, from each other—carries a responsibility.
She calls it “an ancient rule set that is not written down, but remembered in the land and passed on through story, ceremony, and practice.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer describes the Honourable Harvest as a set of teachings that guide how we take from the earth with respect and reciprocity. In Braiding Sweetgrass, she frames it as an unwritten but widely understood code:
Ask permission before taking, and listen for the answer.
Never take the first, never take the last.
Take only what you need.
Take only what is given.
Never take more than half. Leave some for others.
Harvest in a way that minimises harm.
Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.
Share what you have been given.
Give thanks for the gift.
Give a gift in return.
“Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants