I've seen 2 diff 'reality' shows this weekend where appalachian guys are harvesting and poaching ginseng like it is gold What the fuckin fuck?
Good money in that shit. I used to hunt with a guy that would dig it up anywhere he could and sell it. He'd get a couple hundred just for a few pockets full of it.
The guys that harvest it get up to $1000 a pound for it sometimes. The root is the useable part. The older the plant the more it's worth. It's mostly sold to Asian countries like China and Korea.
If it's so pricey why are all of these hilbillies so poor? srs....I dont understand it Or...why doesn't some big company just come in and harvest it?
I think a grand is pretty high. Problem is a lot of the diggers/sellers are doing so under-the-table and getting more like $400-$500 per pound. Where I hunt in VA I see it, problem is it looks like poison ivy and I don't know enough to fuck with it.
I hunt mostly private properties, some massive and upwards of 1000 acres so it wouldn't be an issue. The shit grows wild so it's not like you hit big patches of it, more like you stumble upon it.
There was a guy who did kill someone for poaching it on his land. I don't think he knew what he was poaching but it turns out it was ginseng. It was private property and he shot someone on it then hid the body in his mulch pile. He was like 78 and got charged with the murder. Was in VA or KY I think.
We have Mexicans that poach watermelons and strawberries on our farm in VA. Caught em several times and they always claim they thought it was all up for anyone. Had to put a locked gate across the bridge over the creek on the only way in.
