Foraging

[Beginner]  Contact your local extension office to find out which plants in your area are edible, where they grow, and what season is peak to forage for each. For a variety of wild edible recipes, refer to MaryJane’s Outpost Guidebook. 

Who:  My local extension is hands-off with foraging topics.  Fortunately, I found some great field guides.  

Calflora.  Volunteer/citizen science organized plant ID that lets you zoom into a map quite closely to learn about what grows close to home.    

Foraging Southern California, Douglas Kent-- better coverage of dangerous look-alikes and other names for the species.  Also has some coverage of non-plant foraging (snails, crayfish).  Slightly more accessible for newbies (i.e. "top 10 edibles," chapters organized by conceptual names "greens, berries, fruits, etc.," more pocket-sized).  Author has taught at a local college, lives in our county, and made a lecture available online. [add to personal library]

Foraging California, Christopher Nyerges-- more focused on edibility and preparation of material.  Better coverage of the biozones (desert, chaparral, mountains) and the plants endemic to each.  More coverage of forageables that require post-processing (i.e. flour extenders like acorns).  Author continues to docent foraging and survival skills classes just one county away. [add to personal library]  

All That the Rain Promises and More... David Arora-- Mushroom ID.

Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms  Paul Stamets-- Mushroom cultivation.  

Wildcrafted Fermentation Pascal Baudar-- Great inspiration to branch out from after mastering the basic salad and MJF recipes.  

What/Why:  The "recipes" I am focusing on initially are nutrient-dense salads.  I already have a good rhythm of buying lettuce and having a couple "big salads" a week.  Passive gardening using "weeds" or plants that are particularly adapted to the environment might allow us to eat food that is cheaper and even more nutrient-dense than what is available at the grocery store with minimal additional work planning and planting.  I am most interested in "bland" greens that have a long growing season.  I have learned from my first forays into foraging that there are quite a few greens and flowers that are edible, but are so bitter or limited in quantity, they would be more of an amuse bouche in a salad than a foundation.  

Secondary objectives are (1) to identify other plants/fungi I could introduce to my yard to extend the foraging season and (2) to find uses for things that grow rampant in my yard (i.e. morning glory, Norfolk pine) 

Tertiary objectives as I level up would be to identify "trail snacks" in wild areas I visit frequently, local alternatives to store-bought staples that require a bit more processing (soup/sautee greens, dried/preserved items, coffee, tea, flour), and extend my knowledge of dye, basketry, and medicinal plant options.    

Where:  

I will focus on the "weeds" in my own yard because I live in an urban area and can be sure my yard has not been treated with chemicals or been exposed to as much road-side pollution.  However, Douglas Kent's lecture was a comfort that in investigations on the feasibility of urban foraging to combat food deserts, they didn't find the pollution load of plants harvested on sidewalk medians to be too troubling.  Extra credit:  neighbors have fruit trees, cacti and weed seeds I might want to reintroduce into my yard now that the deep mulching has suppressed a lot of what had been there.  I reviewed the book notes on seaside and riparian plants, but will file this away for emergencies only because (1) most of the local beach/waterways are parks and protected land with strict and/or convoluted no-harvest rules (2) there is substantial pollution from urban runoff that could coat the plants; one of my book authors encourages harvesting and drying local seaweed while my other guide suggests not to harvest any algae or seaweed at all south of Malibu.      

When: 

Spring is peak season.  My guide says 70% of the foodplants available are salad/potherbs.  Most of these germinate in the winter rains but have died or gone to seed in our droughty summer.  

Late Spring-Summer-Fall is when the foraging shifts to fruit/nut/seeds.  I will think about planting some of these varieties into my yard to extend the season but I also have a decent collection of domesticated veggies and a mini orchard that can fill this niche. 

Fall-Winter is listed as a good time to go mushrooming.  I have several mushroom guide books, but have been able to snack more easily when we took the approach of inoculating an area with a known distinct-looking mushroom spore (in this case, stropharia rugosannulata) and harvesting fruiting bodies that emerged.  The volunteer mushrooms I have tried to identify in the yard have ranged from inconvenient to inedible to deadly.  Amanita (death cap), fulgo septica (dog vomit) - although it can absorb heavy metals which might be cool for around the foundation lead abatement),  mature phallacea (stinkhorn)-- some nocturnal animal beats me to digging up the edible stage "eggs," coprinoid (inky cap) possibly edible but tiny and progresses from harvestable to spent too quickly to definitively ID and harvest.  

Within my daily routine, I plan to work on this by grazing a little as I make the rounds, watering cultivated plants that are not on irrigation systems and learning a little bit more about plants and peak seasons as I go.  

How:  

As I forage, I am reminded of the principles of honorable harvest outlined in Braiding Sweetgrass.

1.  Ask permission:  identify the plant, identify yourself and your plans for it.  Indulge yourself in a little spiritual "woo" to determine if it is willing to cooperate.  

2.  Use restraint:  never take the first plant you see, never take more than half, don't waste any part of what you harvest. 

3.  Minimize harm/give back:  harvest in a way that allows the plant to recover, offer a gift in return (i.e. water, fertilizer, spread its seeds)

Supplementing this, I've learned when first trying a plant it is best to eat just a little bit and wait 2 hours before eating it in quantity.  Nyerges's book has also highlighted several plants that are edible but that some people are not able to tolerate.  

[Intermediate] Spend time in the field finding places to forage before, during, and off season. Learn to identify the plants by location, leaves and stalk characteristics.  

Here are field notes from my watering tour the morning of 5/31/2026... 

Laurel-- I planted this in a pot thinking it would be fun to eventually bonsai into a nod to the Greek myth about the nymph Daphne who was chased by Apollo until her dad changed her into a tree.   This variety is the regular, not super-fuerte California version and since I don't make that many soups, is probably enough even in bonsai form to cover my household need for seasoning.  Growing in its potting soil is chickweed.  Chickweed tastes fine as a raw green but doesn't grow big enough leaves to be much of a salad foundation.  

Fennel-- I intentionally planted this, but love grazing on it and so does my kid.  We also saw it was a hit with swallowtail caterpillars.  

Mint-- I planted this (in a container!) and have found it is a great low-maintenance herb.  

Grape-- I bought these vines from a nursery.  At first, I was disappointed they might have been mislabeled as the variety leafed out into a seedy concord I never would have intentionally ordered.  That said, all the seedless table grape varieties I planted along the same fence have failed and this one is going strong.  I love that the feral cats hide here and patrol the grapes from bird snacking.  If I get good at blending and straining out the seeds, I bet this would make great fruit leather.  I also like the idea of using its big leaves as a green to wrap dolmas.  

Citrus-- this is a domesticated potted variety of lemon (see tag!) from MIL.  It hadn't occurred to me to sample the flowers until studying the foraging books.  The zagara smell amazing but have a bit of a bitter finish.  Maybe it could be offset by steeping in a simple syrup or garnishing in a limited quantity.  

Fig-- I bought this tree as well, but it was listed in one of the foraging books and is definitely a low-maintenance tree that produces an abundance of fruit.  

Dock-- I bought this from seed after trying some in a salad mix my MIL's neighbor gifted her.  I regret planting this.  Only the very smallest leaves are palatable and even then, they taste so bitter.  I wish I had asked my MIL's neighbor to provide a cutting from her mellower stock instead.    

Purslane -- this was purslane but its season was so short it is past.  I will watch for it next year to sample.  What is growing in the yard now is the less-succulent and not edible spurge.  

Mallow-- I know our yard is capable of growing this, but I was unable to find any at the end of May.

Oxalis-- the season is mostly passed for this, when it covered our orchard in drifts.  That said, I can still find little pockets of it.  Both foraging books mentioned kids will snack on it and I have found that to be the case.  I love the garnish potential of the lemony flowers.  

Spiderwort -- this is the winner.  A mild leafy green that grows in quantity!  The purple flowers could work as a general garnish as they don't have a have a distinctive flavor or scent profile.  I could also try introducing some more riparian variety plants to this laundry grey water outflow area.    

Prickly Lettuce-- I want to watch these closer to understand what people mean by compass plant and that it follows the sun.  The leaves are on-par with sow thistle, but I subtract a point for the potential to do battle with its prickly stem.  

Sow Thistle-- this might be my number two pick for salad workhorse.  It grows despite trying to bury it and tastes only a click more bitter than artisan lettuce.  The slugs don't seem to take much interest to it either.  

Dandelion-- I know the yard is capable of growing this even though I didn't spot any this morning to taste-test against spiderwort, prickly lettuce, sow thistle, and lambsquarter.  When I do see it, I let it go to seed and blow the heads in wishful thinking of more greens.  

Nasturtium --  These flowers would be the king of salad garnish, showy, floral smell with a peppery kick at the finish.  I also found some seed pods on this excursion that I want to try to pickle in ACV to see how they compare to capers which I purchase in quantity.  

Lambsquarter-- when we moved in, this was everywhere but now between a couple years of chicken grazing and heavy mulching, it isn't growing in quantities to be much of a salad workhorse.  Maybe I can scatter the seeds more liberally this fall.  

Nightshade-- I know the yard is capable of growing this and was delighted to learn the dark ripe berries are edible.  It might be too early in the season to find any of the plants on my walk.  I did, however, find a bunch of very happy cherry tomatoes I had planted which are nightshade relatives.  

Oak - we have 2 trees on the property but I've never gone to the trouble of collecting, shelling, boiling, drying, and grinding the acorns.  I am exhausted just thinking about it, but it is useful to know it was a staff of life for indigenous tribes before the Columbian exchange.  This one looks a bit sick, perhaps a boring bug has done too much damage.  It makes wonderful cover for small birds and we have a woodpecker in the area who might work on it, so I am reluctant to see it go.  It might be interesting to see what mushrooms grow in oak if it does need to come down.    

Bladderpod-- planted this as a nectary for hummingbirds but have learned that the flowers and seeds can also be harvested and cooked later in the season.  

Passive Agriculture Wish List

*Cattail-- I could try planting some of this in the little raised fishpond that doubles as a rainwater catchment and watering can refill station.  I doubt I could grow it in a meaningful quantity there, but I was so captivated by Kimmerer's chapter in Braiding Sweetgrass about it being the "K-mart" of useful plants.  

*Carob tree -- possibly try the seeds in a store first before replacing one of the failed trees in the orchard.

*Currant bush -- Unlike gooseberries, these are not spiny.  Probably look for a white/pink variety that is tasty enough to not require cooking.  

*Amaranth-- is so striking in other people's gardens and I love that both the leaves and seeds are usable.  

*Chia seeds -- This could work as a low-maintenance understory in the orchard and I love the awe with which Nyerges writes about golden chia, a tablespoon of which could sustain an Indian on a 24 hour forced march.    

*Buckwheat -- I have scattered this as a ground cover crop but not much has taken.  Perhaps it is time to try again.  

*Wild Cherry-- cultivated cherry rootstock has failed in our yard, possibly for lack of chill.  It might be fun to try growing these.  Nyerges even claims the meat from the seed can be used if you are careful about cyanide.  

*Strawberry Tree/Arbutus -- every so often, the edibles nursery we frequent mentions these in their newsletter.  I love the idea of a tree that is both ornamental and useful, but would want to try some of the fruit first.  

*Plantain -- Guides indicate this might be a bit bitter for fresh eating, but, after playing a foraging board game called WildCraft, my daughter often says that when she dies, she wants to come back as plantain because it is so cute.  I also love the story of it being whiteman's footprints and being a useful rather than noxious weed in Braiding Sweetgrass. 

*Violet -- several friends in the sisterhood list violet as a favorite fragrance but it is surprisingly difficult to procure as an essential oil for candles and other gifts.  I'd like to smell the real thing and try it as an edimental.  

*Lemonade Berry/Sugarbush/Sumac- this is another one I'd like to find on a trail and try before committing lawn space.  I have really enjoyed dried sumac spice, so if this is its source, it might be fun to grow.  

*Honey Locust -- sounds so promising as a tree to replant the median with, but manuals are mixed about whether it would thrive in our coastal environment.  

*California Coffee berry -- this is intriguing as I have 3 coffee trees on the property but have come to appreciate that methods for making decaf are tricky.  How cool would it be to be able to grow something similarly flavored as a caffeine-free option?  

Nuisance Weed Potential uses: 

Asparagus Fern-- this is not edible and has annoying thorns.  Some people cultivate it as a houseplant, so maybe I could dig some up and try propagating it for my kid's end of driveway plant stand.  It may tolerate shadier environments so I could pilot it as a houseplant in darker corners of our house (i.e. master bathroom)  

Morning Glory-- Definitely not edible.  Its redeeming qualities are that it seems to feed the hummingbirds when their feeders run dry.  I've also had some limited success trying to weave it into a cone-shaped basket.  I also have used the knowledge that it thrives here to plant sweet potato which is a relative (pictured below).  

Cape Honeysuckle-- I think?  I'm not fully convinced I have ID'ed this correctly.  This attracts birds and is ornamental but isn't edible.  Some sources say the bark can be used to quell bleeding and leaf/bark can be used to treat stomach issues.    

Lantana -- ambivalent comments on whether the fully ripe berries are edible, so I think I will stick with the low hanging (and less controversial) fruits and leave these for the birds for now.