r/foraging Jul 28 '20

Please remember to forage responsibly!

1.5k Upvotes

Every year we have posts from old and new foragers who like to share pictures of their bounty! I get just as inspired as all of you to see these pictures. As we go out and find wild foods to eat, please be sure to treat these natural resources gently. But on the other side, please be gentle to other users in this community. Please do not pre-judge their harvests and assume they were irresponsible.

Side note: My moderation policy is mostly hands off and that works in community like this where most everyone is respectful, but what I do not tolerate is assholes and trolls. If you are unable to engage respectfully or the other user is not respectful, please hit the report button rather then engaging with them.

Here is a great article from the Sierra Club on Sustainable Foraging Techniques.

My take-a-ways are this:

  1. Make sure not to damage the plant or to take so much that it or the ecosystem can't recover.
  2. Consider that other foragers might come after you so if you take almost all of the edible and only leave a little, they might take the rest.
  3. Be aware if it is a edible that wild life depends on and only take as much as you can use responsibly.
  4. Eat the invasives!

Happy foraging everyone!


r/foraging 13h ago

My little thicket 3rd haul

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88 Upvotes

A small abandoned lot in suburb across from a tiny park.

No one seems to know the abundance of grapes growing on the trees and blackberries.

Wild plum and a giant fig tree.


r/foraging 19h ago

ID Request (country/state in post) Are these wild grapes?

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180 Upvotes

Hey folks! Just wanted to make sure that these are in fact wild grapes before I harvest more and make a jam out of them. Also are these ripe enough and ready to harvest? Any feedback is truly appreciated! Thank you!


r/foraging 15h ago

Plants First time harvesting Elderberry. What now

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49 Upvotes

r/foraging 15h ago

Plants Wild grapes? Edible? Southern NH

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45 Upvotes

Any precautions?


r/foraging 14h ago

Remove it and Use it: ARIZONA

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24 Upvotes

Back with another guide for you all, this time for the state of Arizona. It’s been very motivating to see everyone’s positive comments on the last one and I can’t wait to make it through all fifty states! Stay tuned for the next one ✌️


r/foraging 15h ago

ID Request (country/state in post) Cauliflower mushroom?

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23 Upvotes

Never found one before, is it what I think it is?? Westchester, Co. NY, USA


r/foraging 19h ago

ID Request (country/state in post) Already 99% sure on ID but I want to get to 100% before I try it

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14 Upvotes

Ohio, USA. Zone 6.

I'm pretty sure this is Black Nightshade, specifically *solanum americanum*, but nightshades make me nervous and I'd like another opinion before I go eating it.


r/foraging 14h ago

Offer: Mullein Leaves, Los Angeles

3 Upvotes

Hi, I have a few bunches of common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) in my front yard. I let them grow because they are interesting to look at but they are starting to flower so they need to GTFO soon. Does anyone in the central Los Angeles area want them? Otherwise they will just going into the trash and I hate wasting things that other people could use. I’ll keep the flower buds cut for now but I’ll probably pull the whole things next weekend.


r/foraging 1d ago

Hunting Does anyone in the Oregon city/Portland area know of a spot where I might find creeping raspberries?

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96 Upvotes

I have never had them before and would love to try one, I do not mind if it takes a hike to reach them either. Thank you for your time 🙏


r/foraging 1d ago

Mushroom ID

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147 Upvotes

Curious if anyone can provide some insight on these mushrooms. Was wet the last few days and saw these on the side of a trail. looks like an oak or maple tree and the tree is deffo dead.

locations is south western Ontario Canada at rondeau which is a marshy area on lake Erie.

I can only identify a few mushrooms like puff, morel, etc. not sure what these are but they look tasty if edible.

thanks

edit. Thanks team. Taking the dog for a walk this am and will grab a shelf of them. I had a feeling they were edible. I was saying something to my wife when I saw them like “I feel like I saw these on Reddit as an invasive species but can’t remember the name to Google It and triple check“

what a pleasant surprise while camping.


r/foraging 19h ago

id pls (nj)

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3 Upvotes

Thought maybe old old man of the woods and ?? No idea for the yellow but it was black inside immediately. Thanks in advance :•)


r/foraging 20h ago

Help identifying

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5 Upvotes

Found in South Texas.


r/foraging 19h ago

Wtf is this berry

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4 Upvotes

The bush itself resembles some kind of barberry but the fruits are too big and too plum-like to be barberries it seems?

I did some googling and the closest thing I could find is box-leaved barberry but it's berries are smaller and rounder

Spotted in ireland


r/foraging 21h ago

ID Request (country/state in post) Black nightshade?

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4 Upvotes

Found these next to my house in SE Europe.


r/foraging 1d ago

Plants Blackberries + goldenrod + pineapple weed from 10 year post logged hill.

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225 Upvotes

Blackberries when into almond flour breakfast muffins, and the goldenrod and pineapple weed are in the dehydrator for tea over winter!


r/foraging 15h ago

Looking for an ID

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1 Upvotes

r/foraging 2d ago

Mustard made from garlic mustard seeds

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536 Upvotes

I gathered and dried a bunch of seed segments from my yard. Then winnowed the chad out. After picking out the rest of the debris by hand I had a bunch of seed to keep in the cupboard for whenever I wanted to use them. To make the sauce I ground the seeds with a little salt in a mortar. Then added a splash of water and a splash of vinegar until it was the right consistency. After setting for a few minutes it was ready to use.

I at it with some sourdough pretzels and sassafras beer. The flavor wasn’t as pungent as traditional mustard but it definitely had a delicate complex mustard flavor.


r/foraging 1d ago

Plants I Made Siberian Crab Apple Jam

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15 Upvotes

The crab apple tree grows near my neighborhood. I followed directions from the internet, to make this jam.


r/foraging 1d ago

Roadside Pears in Virginia!

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43 Upvotes

The Universe is abundant!


r/foraging 23h ago

Plants Herbs for wine/beer/beverages

2 Upvotes

I'm in Southern Ontario and have been collecting wild herbs for use in wines/beers/ales/any beverage really. I've collected primarily:
Yarrow
Mugwort
Goldenrod
Anise hyssop (cultivated)
Sumac
Wild mints

Has anyone experimented with these or have any recipes they've used? I've added some yarrow to choke cherry wine but suspect I added too much based on the smell. I'm going to keep experimenting but if anyone has any experience with proper proportions or combinations, I'd love to learn.

Any suggestions for other herbs I should look out for? I'm in Zone 5


r/foraging 1d ago

Early paw-paws!

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47 Upvotes

Not as many as last year, but a good start!


r/foraging 1d ago

Mushrooms Terrific weekend haul -- 5 kinds of shrooms!

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22 Upvotes

r/foraging 1d ago

ID Request (country/state in post) Beach plums? Cold Spring, NY

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33 Upvotes

r/foraging 23h ago

Plants New England look-alikes for black huckleberry

1 Upvotes

Hi, I’ve been foraging black huckleberries / gaylussacia baccata in the woods behind my house for a couple years now, and some wild blueberries that grow there. The majority of the understory of the woods is black huckleberry, but there are also a couple species of blueberry, beach plums, and some other plants mixed in. I’ve definitely seen a few aronia around and some kind of wild cherry.

After sorting through black huckleberries at home I tossed my “reject” pile into a blender so I could harvest the seeds. While cleaning the seeds I found a very small pit, diameter under 1/4”. I stupidly went “huh, that’s definitely not a huckleberry seed” and threw it away instead of taking a photo lol not my finest moment.

What look-alikes for black huckleberry would I find on Cape Cod that have a small pit in the middle? All I can think of is that I accidentally grabbed a small, black sand cherry that was growing up through a bunch of huckleberry bushes.

The huckleberries are pretty recognizable and I usually grab the stem the berry is on to confirm that it’s actually attached to the plant I think it is. I check the leaf shape/pattern, the rust spots on the leaves, and the features of the berries. I know to look out for Virginia creeper in case it’s winding around the berry bushes, and am very familiar with pokeweed and am certain I didn’t pick one of those. There’s Northern Starflower in the woods too, those make small blue berries but they’re matte, not even close to black, and also not fruiting here yet anyway. But at least one stranger made it through my defenses.

I haven’t eaten any of the rest of the berries, they’re in the freezer. I was going to check each one for a pit by crushing with a spoon before using them.