Seasonal Foraging Guide

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Seasonal Foraging Guide

Wild greens, berries, fruit, nuts and mushrooms month by month — where they grow, how to use them, and the look-alikes to watch for.

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Best foraging near you right now

What’s in season this month and actually being found within about 50 miles of you.

Your location is rounded to about 7 miles and never saved on our site.

Sightings from iNaturalist research-grade observations. Photos © their photographers via iNaturalist, used under Creative Commons licenses.

Be certain before you eat. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom you can’t identify with complete certainty from several reliable sources. Many deadly plants have edible look-alikes. Learn with an experienced forager or local mushroom club. In the U.S., Poison Control is 1-800-222-1222.

Season calendar

Typical seasons for the eastern and central United States. Farther south things come in earlier; farther north and higher up, later.

What to look for

Wild strawberries
(c) Abby Hyde, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Abby Hyde · iNaturalist

Berries · Mayo–Hunyo

Wild strawberries

Fragaria virginiana

Where: Sunny fields, meadows and woods edges.

Look-alikes & cautions: Mock strawberry has yellow flowers and bland fruit (not harmful). True wild strawberries have white flowers.

Use: Fresh, jam or frozen

Mulberries
no rights reserved · iNaturalist

Berries · Mayo–Hulyo

Mulberries

Morus

Where: Yard trees, fencerows and woods edges.

Look-alikes & cautions: Unripe berries and leaves can upset the stomach — eat only fully ripe fruit.

Use: Fresh, pies, jam, frozen or dried

Blackberries & dewberries
(c) Eileen D, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eileen D · iNaturalist

Berries · Hunyo–Agosto

Blackberries & dewberries

Rubus allegheniensis

Where: Thickets, old fields and fencerows.

Look-alikes & cautions: Aggregate berries like these have few dangerous look-alikes. Watch for thorns, ticks and snakes.

Use: Fresh, jam, canned or frozen

Black raspberries
(c) Steven J. Baskauf, some rights reserved (CC BY) · iNaturalist

Berries · Hunyo–Hulyo

Black raspberries

Rubus occidentalis

Where: Woods edges and fencerows.

Look-alikes & cautions: Black raspberries come off the core hollow, like a thimble; blackberries keep their core.

Use: Fresh, jam or frozen

Learn With Others

The best way to learn wild foods is alongside someone who knows them. Ask for identification help in the Foraging group — post clear photos of every part of the plant or mushroom — and never eat anything on an online ID alone.

Join the Foraging Group