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

Dandelion
(c) lonnyholmes, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by lonnyholmes · iNaturalist

Greens & shoots · Marso–Oktubre

Dandelion

Taraxacum

Where: Lawns, fields and roadsides — pick where nothing has been sprayed.

Look-alikes & cautions: True dandelion has one flower on a hollow, leafless stem and toothed, hairless leaves. Look-alikes such as cat’s-ear and chicory are also edible.

Use: Young greens, flowers and roots

Lamb’s quarters
(c) Patrick Hacker, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Patrick Hacker · iNaturalist

Greens & shoots · Mayo–Setyembre

Lamb’s quarters

Chenopodium album

Where: Gardens, barnyards and disturbed ground.

Look-alikes & cautions: Young leaves have a white, mealy coating underneath. Like spinach it is high in oxalates — eat cooked and in moderation.

Use: Cook like spinach

Purslane
(c) Ricard Busquets Reverte, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ricard Busquets Reverte · iNaturalist

Greens & shoots · Hunyo–Setyembre

Purslane

Portulaca oleracea

Where: Gardens, sidewalk cracks and hot, sunny ground.

Look-alikes & cautions: Spotted spurge looks similar but is toxic: it has milky white sap and thin, wiry stems. Purslane has thick, juicy stems and clear sap.

Use: Fresh in salads or pickled

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