Mods that let you plant them

Set up a portal in or next to every biome you'd like to manually farm, then use map markers to mark every plant you see there. Then every once in awhile run through the biome going specifically to the most densely packed areas of vegetation

I usually collect a bunch of them while going around and store them. But my biome tip is this:

Thistles grow near GreyDwarf Spawners, so if you mark them you'll know very easely where to find them.

Raspberries grow by the lots near/around those empty spaces in the meadows where you find oaks.

Now Blueberries and Mushrooms its tougher because theres no real pattern to them so you have to mark at least the BlueBerries if you dont store them while exploring. But i usually find BlueBerries in steep places.

That being said, the best strategy is to hoard them on early game while exploring and go storing them and making recipes when you have more than you can keep.

Gather them as you go through the biomes doing other things and mark large groups of berry bushes on your map.

The plant everything mod allows you to plant them and is on Nexus Mods.

https://www.nexusmods.com/valheim/mods/1042?tab=description

Common sense is the starting place.
If it takes 5 berries to make, does it add 200 health or stamina? No? Why are you making this? Is there an alternate food that is as good that uses like, a carrot or two?

The food rebalance did not go over the CBA side. Some foods are too much trouble to make a lot of, and some you can make by hardly lifting a finger.

Mark all the locations of the respawning items, it's time consuming to mark everything you run past but after doing it for an area or island, I can make a run to collect an entire stack of 50 of berries and thistle in no time....I usually do the in depth markers when I'm exploring for the first few times in a biome.

Like other said, use a marker.

If you see like 4-6 plants in a tight group, mark it on the map. If you see a stray 1-2 skip it.

Thistle, collect it at night in Black Forest, it glows.

When you go to collect them use the power from the first boss to allow you to sprint at a stamina reduction cost.

Originally posted by hazelrah:

i pretty much do the exact same but in reverse. i mark blueberries with dot and a 'b' (also mark mushrooms w/ a dot and an 'm')... then hunt the thistle. harder to see the berries and mushrooms while the thistle stands out.
ultimately markers are your friend. you can chart a path connecting the dots on your next foraging trip and save a lot of time, however you choose to do it.

I marked berries early in game, but as I played more and more, Thistle and blood bags became the two items I was most frequently out of, while my supplies of Blueberries and raspberries never run out. I have a full iron chest of both at the moment.

I'm speaking from a "pre-hearth and home" perspective as I've not played very much at all since that update.

Originally posted by klirko:

I am trying to make stuff, but everything requires like 20 berries and 15 thistle and the trips between the biomes are too long for it to be worth the trouble. So is there an effective way of gathering them?

Use portals.

create new world

Portals and map markers where u know that there is a good spot

portals or new worlds(that be a pain)

using makers will help.

For thistle farming I try to find a large stand of Black Forest biome, I mark each thistle with a dot (no label just a dot). Make sure you are zoomed in as far as you can go to accurately mark the spots.

Onice I have marked a whole forest I simply go back after the thistle has re-spawned (which takes 4 hours according to Valheim Wiki).

For rasberries and blueberries I just hunt for them as needed.

Originally posted by Gunther Ultrabolt Novacrunch:

For thistle farming I try to find a large stand of Black Forest biome, I mark each thistle with a dot (no label just a dot). Make sure you are zoomed in as far as you can go to accurately mark the spots.

Onice I have marked a whole forest I simply go back after the thistle has re-spawned (which takes 4 hours according to Valheim Wiki).

For rasberries and blueberries I just hunt for them as needed.

i pretty much do the exact same but in reverse. i mark blueberries with dot and a 'b' (also mark mushrooms w/ a dot and an 'm')... then hunt the thistle. harder to see the berries and mushrooms while the thistle stands out.
ultimately markers are your friend. you can chart a path connecting the dots on your next foraging trip and save a lot of time, however you choose to do it.