Nature's Golden Root

30 Nature’s Golden Root My aunt and uncle are really amazing people. They're a little different from most of us. Uncle Al has a university education in agriculture. Aunt Helen received her degree in natural science. You might have guessed that they both love nature. One day, Uncle Al said that life is short. He wanted to live the remainder of his days doing something that truly satisfied him. Aunt Helen agreed. They quit their jobs at the university and bought a small property in the countryside. However, they still needed to make a living. How could they live well and still earn enough to survive? Well, they both knew that ginseng grows wild all over the eastern part of Canada. They also knew that there is a big market for ginseng around the world. They decided to spend their days searching for and harvesting wild ginseng. What a good way to live their dream!

They learned that ginseng grows in hardwood forests. It's not easy to find, but once you know what it looks like, you simply go out into the forest and harvest it. Don't get me wrong, it's still a lot of hard work. You have to deal with biting insects and a lot of walking in hot weather. “ But when you find a patch of wild ginseng, it makes you feel like a king, " says Uncle Al. Buyers from around the world pay good money for Canada's wild ginseng. The size and shape of the root is really important. A root sells for $30 on average. But wait until you hear this! At a sale two years ago, a buyer paid $10, 000 for a single root. That's a lot of money! My aunt and uncle have never found a root that brought them that much money, but they continue to search for one. In the meantime, they go out most days in the fall to hunt for ginseng. They don't make a lot of money, but they do make enough to live well. Ginseng is a wonderful herb. It helps many people with health problems, and it helps my aunt and uncle live their dream. " One day, I'm going to hit the jackpot, " Uncle Al says. “ Imagine the day when I find a ginseng root that sells for $10, 000! " Wild ginseng is truly “ nature's gold" .