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.
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.
Season calendar
| Wild food | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild plums | |||||||||||||
| Wild grapes & muscadines | |||||||||||||
| Pawpaws | |||||||||||||
| Wild persimmons | |||||||||||||
| Staghorn & smooth sumac |
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
Fruit · July–September
Wild plums
Prunus americana
Where: Thickets along fencerows and field edges.
Look-alikes & cautions: Don’t eat the pits — they contain cyanide-forming compounds.
Use: Jam, canned or dried
Fruit · August–October
Wild grapes & muscadines
Vitis
Where: Climbing over trees and fences along woods edges.
Look-alikes & cautions: Canada moonseed is poisonous: it has one crescent-shaped seed per fruit and no forked tendrils. Wild grapes have pear-shaped seeds and forked tendrils.
Use: Juice, jelly and wine
Fruit · August–October
Pawpaws
Asimina triloba
Where: River bottoms and shady understory in the East and Midwest.
Look-alikes & cautions: Eat only the ripe pulp — skin and seeds are not eaten. A few people get an upset stomach.
Use: Fresh or frozen pulp
Fruit · July–September
Staghorn & smooth sumac
Rhus
Where: Fields and roadsides — red, fuzzy, upright berry clusters.
Look-alikes & cautions: Poison sumac has white, drooping berries and grows in swamps — avoid it. Anyone allergic to cashews or mangoes should skip sumac.
Use: Lemony tea and spice
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.