Your Guide to Wild Edible Plants
Next time you're taking an autumn jaunt down a forest trail, look around you. In the trees, you might see the fuzzy crimson seeds of a cluster of sumac or bright red barberries dangling from a low shrub. Looking at the ground, maybe you'll spot fallen ripe walnuts and dark green watercress leaves, ready to be plucked and eaten. If you know what to look for, nature provides countless treats, even on the brusk days of fall. Here are 20 wild edible plants to forage in autumn.
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1. Grapes
One of the greatest delicacies of fall is the sweet and slightly tart wild grapes that grow in sunny areas. They're often found near rivers and streams but get ready to climb for them as grape vines tend to scale upwards.
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2. Apples
On your next fall hike, keep your eyes peeled for apples. They grow in the middle of forests and are often happily devoured by bears and deer. The wild varietal is smaller and tarter than the farmed kind but they sweeten up when cooked into jelly or a pie.
3. Rose Hips
Rose hips are tiny crimson berries with sweet pulp and tart skin. These vitamin-packed little fruits can be eaten raw or steeped into tea. They're native to Asia but are commonly found in North American forests too.
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4. Sumac
Sumac is a tasty plant that's easy to identify and grows just about everywhere in the eastern regions of North America. The red velvety seeds have a delightful sweet and tart flavor akin to lemonade. It's commonly seen in Middle Eastern cuisine in spice blends, rice, and hummus.
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5. Barberry
Barberry plants are thorny shrubs often confused with rose bushes. The berries can be eaten raw or steeped into tea. They contain an impressive amount of immune-boosting nutrients.
6. Persimmon
Persimmons look like orange tomatoes that, when they're ripe, have a delightful mango-y bubblegum flavor. Although they're native to china, they can be found growing happily on forest trees in the eastern US around late October.
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7. Onion
On your next forest walk, be sure to keep your eyes on the ground, seeking bulbous roots. Wild onions grow prolifically throughout North America in the fall. To identify one, scratch the bulb and sniff it, looking for that familiar onion-y odor.
8. Black Walnuts
These walnuts look like green tennis balls and grow high in trees but when they're ready in autumn, they fall to the ground and their husks turn black. After cracking the shells open, remove the nutmeat with tweezers and soak them to remove the bitter tannins, revealing their buttery, soft flavor.
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9. Acorns
Acorns grow on oak trees which are commonly found all throughout the Northern hemisphere, but did you know you could eat them? Acorns require some steps before they're palatable including grinding and soaking, but once this is done, they become deliciously sweet and nutty.
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10. Edible Greens
Edible greens including watercress, wintergreen, and chickweed can be found growing in abundance right under your feet. They thrive in cool, damp conditions and offer a low-maintenance foraged food that you can eat raw in salads.
11. Potato
Wild potatoes are native to North and South America. They grow on roots like onions and are smaller and more bitter than cultivated ones. Just be careful as many types of wild potatoes are poisonous.
12. Purple Yam
Wild yams were brought to South America and the southeastern US by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. These tubers have a bright lavender-colored flesh and are slightly sweet and vanilla-y when cooked.
13. Wild Rice
Wild rice is found in freshwater lakes in Canada and the Northern US. Harvesting this grain is a little more of a process entailing drying, hulling, and winnowing but the rich, earthy, and healthful meal you'll get out of it makes that labor 100 percent worth it.
14. Cranberries
These tart berries are synonymous with fall and winter, served alongside Thanksgiving turkey all over North America. They grow in the high wetland areas on vines.
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15. Pecans
There's a reason pecan pie is a fall dessert: they thrive this time of year in the Southern US. You know they're ripe for picking when their green husks split open. Once you break open the shell and remove the meat, you can eat it raw.
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16. Black Trumpet Mushrooms
These striking dark-colored fungi have a rich, earthy, and smoky flavor perfect for soups, sautees, and preserves. They grow in moist, shady areas in North America, Europe, and Asia.
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17. Oyster Mushrooms
These meaty and herbacious mushrooms decompose wood, so you can easily find them hanging off tree logs. They're prolific growers in many different regions of the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Mediterranean, and Northern Africa.
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18. Goldenrod
Goldenrod is a flowering plant renowned for its medicinal qualities when boiled into tea. It's known to reduce inflammation, fight infection, and lower blood pressure and is found in sunny spots throughout North America.
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19. Parsnips
Parsnips are a nuisance to farmers because of their invasive weed-like qualities but to foragers, they're a delight. They're found in North America and Eastern Europe and grow heartily in disturbed areas like along roads and railways. They have a similar taste to potatoes and can be used in the same way.
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20. Plums
Wild plums grow along streams and rivers all through summer and into early fall. Many varieties of these candy-like fruits can be found in North America, Europe, and Asia and may be eaten raw or cooked into jellies.
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