APPALACHIAN OUTLAWS: Them Ginseng Hillbillys

I grew up digging the stuff. I used to dig yellow root (GoldenSeal), and bloodroot as well. It was a good way to make money when I was a teenager

nice, you prolly enjoy the show then

Appalchian Outlaws Episode 3

[link to www.history.com]

Last Edited by Dogfood™ on 01/24/2014 12:18 PM

I live in the Appalachians and never knew about this. I know there are alot of moonshiners, but didn't know about the ginsing.

I might look into it and see if I can find some myself!

most people would go broke trying to hunt wild sang and make a living it has almost been wiped out, did you know that american ginseng was our first export from america to china and korea ???? dont waste your time dudes i have hunted alot and only found a couple roots .

I spend a lot of time in West Virginia for my work, and I really think it's one of the best places in America to find the sort of self-sufficient people so many of us aspire to be.

The only thing I worry about when I think of moving there is the big industries that come in, and could give a damn less about the land. Appalachia is beyond beautiful, but when you look at how mountains have had their tops blown off (like in the Mud River area), the ongoing issues with Marcellus Shale, and now the chemical spill, I get worried.

But in terms of people who know their stuff about survival, they're the best.

lol^




Last Edited by Dogfood™ on 01/24/2014 01:17 PM

some of it the mature roots over 15 years old can bring up to $65/oz

You guys know you can farm ginseng right?
Grow it by the field instead of trespassing all over the place lol
Could grow 2000lbs in less then an acre lol stupid knobs

Takes atleast 5 years for the root to mature. Don't call people stupid, only makes you appear ugly.

they wont buy homegrown, needs to be wild grown



last nights episode
[link to www.history.com]

'm surprised big pharma hasn't duplicated the chemical. I wonder about whether that show is scripted for tv....people playing along for some tv money. Otherwise the guys filming etc. could end up dead.

cultivated sang does NOT bring nearly as high a price as wild, in fact you can't sell it many places. It is easy to tell cultivated, it is straight like a carrot root. This old man in Birch River won't buy any, at all. His clients won't buy it either. It's not valuable until it has passed through a bird craw and struggled through the rocks and hard ground to be all gnarly and twisted.

my uncle and his sons went ginseng hunting every year. they used to come up to illinois where i lived every year too because it is better quality up there if you know where to look for it. they made lots of money off of it.
it's pretty scarce down here in tenn now because of so many people taking it before it got the berries on it to grow some more.

ginseng moonshine is awesome btw.

Seng is good money around here. Best to get a liscense.

I want the world to know, that the show needs to be on the comedy channel. I am 44 years old have been going ginsenging since I was 9 and have never had a gun pulled on me over ginsenging. I have been run off of people's land but have never had my vehicle's tires shot, my windows knocked out, and have never seen anyone dig 12-15 pound a day with a shovel/besides I've never seen anyone ginseng with a shovel. I don't see how the people on the show got a $1,000 a pound/when I called the same guy and he only wanted to give me $500. If the history channel wants to come and see REAL ginsenger's, come to Wyoming county W.V and they are all around. The best in the country. Before I get done with this message, I want everyone to know that W.V people aren't as bad as the show let's on. We are not as redneck as everyone presents us as. We are not rude or mean and definitely not over a stalk of ginseng. Thank you.
Aka Redbone =)

Was just watching the show this afternoon. There is no drying involved. The guys are digging it and bringing it straight to the buyers, who are paying from $550 to over $1000 a lb. if the roots are like 15 yrs old.

gee, if you know of any buyers who pay by the pound UNDRIED then please list them!!! Never, never heard of such a thing.

THIS!

This show is such bull$hit. Everything is obviously scripted and those "booby traps" are useless. I don't doubt there are people making money digging Ginseng root but it sure isn't these bozos.

Because it's primary value is in superstition.

I read up on it and believe its endangered from over harvesting. Takes years to develop into potent high grade root

The episode where "georgia boy" nearly loses his truck going in reverse while he hops on the hood is FAKE! Clearly this guy is some actor from SW PA he asked the crew, "YINZ alright?" He said it like someone from PGH and since when does a georgia boy say YINZ? Then there's his ride on the canoe with the ewok... ... pay close attention to their conversation and how there is a spot where ewok's sunglasses aren't on his face.

FAKE FAKE FAKE

Yes, very scarce and they are strict.

People that DO have it on their land will shoot, just like a previous poster said, and people do get arrested and put in prison for poaching it. Poaching it is a very serious offense.

well first of all the show is stupid and a complete set up....they set a truck on fire and it wasn't even the correct truck.

in NC they would but for super cheap, few years ago

check this forum

[link to www.wildgrown.com]

tell ya all you need to know


last nights episode

[link to www.history.com]



Last Edited by Dogfood™ on 01/31/2014 01:58 PM

Most think this show is completely scripted and I agree. This has to be one of the most overtly scripted and staged shows on today. The key factors that make this show appear to be scripted is the amount of open criminal activity and number of assault with deadly weapon scenes.

I don't think there is one state in the U.S. that allows people to plant booby traps. Probably in all states, especially today, using a shotgun shell for a booby trap device is classified as using a destructive device and therefore a felony and quite possibly comes under the jurisdiction of the BATF or the FBI, not just a state or county matter, but a serious federal offense. Today it would quite possibly be a crime under the anti-terrorism statutes.

Just making a threat and motioning towards a fire arm in your immediate vicinity or on your person makes this more than a veiled threat, but in fact, Assault with a Deadly Weapon. If you doubt me, look it up in any penal code or Black's Law Dictionary. The scene where the fat old buyer in the truck threatens the old tweeker digger is a text book example of ADW and fulfills all of the elements of the crime.

How about the scene where the guy from Georgia is roaming through the woods, his vehicle is parked on a county road and he is accosted by two locals that take exception to this out-of-towner digging in near their cherry patch, on land the locals do not own, but once again, feel they have a de facto title to. The two locals shoot a hole in the Georgian digger's truck tire and tell him if he comes back, they will shoot him too. Once again, a text book example of ADW.

In most states, you are not allowed to shoot at trespassers and especially you are not allowed to shoot at people on land you do not own, but feel you have a de facto title to; therefore, even if some states may have a statute that allows property owners to use deadly force against mere trespassers, if the idiot does not own the property or have legal possession of the property, they do not have standing to use the deadly force against the mere trespassers.

If this show is not staged or there is no concealed disclaimer relating that the show is staged, then why have not the West Virginia law enforcement authorities arrested half of the characters on this show and when will the IRS move in to check income tax filings and audit the buyers' business records.

Tomorrow I intend to make a few phone calls to the county and state L.E. agencies and ask them if they allow this type of open and notorious criminal activity to go unchecked. Being that these crimes are being filmed and broadcast nationally, there should be ample evidence for the authorities to act. But probably, the L.E. agencies have been briefed that the show is completely scripted and have taken no action. But that being said, it sets a poor image of the state of W.V. if the show is allowed to portray W.V. as a lawless haven of violence, crime and inept/ambivalent and negligent law enforcement practices.

I called the Chief of the Greenbrier County Sheriff's Department and he related that they have been in contact with the producers of the show and related that the events are fictionalized, in other words staged.

All I can add are these true comments.

1. One of my BEST supervisors (in TOP 3) of MANY is a real West Virginia coal miner's daughter who is also my daughter's namesake. BOTH are very ethical and hard-working.

2. Whenever I was in WVA en [googlevid]route to Ohio from NC years ago, I always found West Virginians to be very hard-working and family-oriented. I often remember a young man on a pitch black country road waiting in the dark to get on the Greyhound after placing his only cargo, a new bassinet laiden with newborn treasures.

3. There is nothing backwards or dumb about West Virginians. During the Civl War/War Between the States, etc., the people had the foresight to secede from Virginia after holding a convention to establish their state which was admitted to the Union in 1863. They saved themselves from becoming a battleground with all the horrors of war, although many men still fought in the war.

4. Another very real meaning of redneck was to wear a red bandanna as a code to other miners that one was pro-Union during a time when mine owners and lawmen violently acted against members and organizers. That meant am\ny man, black or white, that was pro-union wore a red bandanna to show solidarity. These are real heroes of American labor.

5. West Virginia has the most beautiful terrain East of the Mississippi River.

6. All the marriage-minded young women should consider getting themselves some Appalachian IN-LAWS!

By the way, I am not young or white. I know GOOD PEOPLE when I deal with and observe them.