Women kept track of different times during the year when the materials for basket making were in season. Their knowledge of when and where to collect their raw materials allowed them to make sturdy, long-lasting baskets, specialized for their purposes. Weavers used cherry bark for darker imbrications and sedges and grasses for lighter patterns. Dyes were extracted from other plants: red came from willow, and alder produced red, brown and black.

Shellfish were a major part of the diet and the coast and islands of the Snuneymuxw territory were full of clam beds. One side of Gabriola Island alone had 50 acres of active clamming. This remains a productive clam bar and is used by the Snuneymuxw today. Mussels (Mytilus edulis Linneaus), butter clams (Saxidomus giganteus Deshayes), and littleneck clams (Protothaca staminea Conrad), along with horse clams (Tresus capax Conrad) were dug with sticks from the sandy flats at low tide. They were steamed in pits and eaten fresh, or dried and stored on cedar cords for later use. Small oysters native to the Nanaimo River Estuary's lagoon were plentiful, but were replaced over time by larger, introduced species. Baskets were used to carry and store this food throughout the year.

Delicious tart and sweet berries were harvested in the Snuneymuxw territory. Depending on the weather, salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis), trailing blackberries (Rubus ursinus), red huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum), salal berries (Gaultheria shallon) and soapberries (Shepherdia canadebsis) were collected between late spring and early autumn.

Blue camas (Camassia quamash) is a starchy root that was harvested by the Snuneymuxw in the spring, when its flowers appeared. This helped to distinguish it from the poisonous variety, which is found in the same area but has a white rather than a deep blue flower. Camas was cooked by steaming the roots in pits lined with rocks. It is now rarely harvested, as potatoes were introduced into the Snuneymuxw diet in the late 1800s and were much easier to grow and harvest. The Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor) is another plant brought by Europeans that became part of the local food harvest. Many Snuneymuxw pick berries today and berry pie recipes are part of family traditions.