People focus on five common categories when learning how to forage. Each one is a study in and of itself, and some are easier than others. Let’s take a quick look at each one.

• Berries
  • They’re either delicious or distressing, and there’s not a lot of in-between. Thankfully, many are a part of our everyday life since production has been industrialized. Much of North America has a favorable climate for wild berries, so finding them during the late spring and early summer is common.
  • Toxic look-alikes to research include nightshade (can be confused for blueberries), moonseed (grow on a vine, like grapes), and pokeberries (a truly unique plant with attractive-looking berries.) Some include red baneberry in this list, claiming it looks like a strawberry… but I just don’t see it! 
• Mushrooms
  • Mushrooms are possibly the most polarizing of the foraging categories. They have a reputation for being extremely dangerous. But given how abundantly the safe varieties can grow, it’s definitely worth the effort to study them. If you know what you’re doing, you can make an entire meal from a single patch of fungi. Choose a couple of common species and focus on them.
  • Toxic look-alikes to research include jack-o-lanterns (similar in color and texture to chanterelles), destroying angels (casual observers may think they’ve found field mushrooms), and false morels. Since mushrooms continue changing throughout their life cycle, they can be challenging to identify confidently. Understand the difference between a young, newly emerged mushroom and one that’s been around long enough to change shape and color.
• Plants
  • The huge variety in taste, texture, and availability makes tackling the plant category quite the undertaking. You can find everything from the wild equivalents of our common grocery store lettuces to the unappealing but nutritious pine bark. The good thing about the vastness of plant life is that there’s plenty of opportunity for you to learn what’s good and what could leave a bitter taste in both your mouth and the overall experience. Zero in on what’s prolific in your area and during the season you’re exploring. 
  • Toxic look-alikes to research include young foxglove (which can look like young, pre-bloom purple deadnettle) and ponderosa pine (which can have toxic needles and bark, unlike white pine.)
• Nuts
  • Stumble on a nut tree, find two hard surfaces for cracking, and enjoy some high-calorie snacks straight from Nature herself. This category is the easiest to master since the variety is so much smaller. In fact, it’s so short that there’s only one kind of nut to beware. But what you may find interesting is that there are options out there you may not have thought of eating… like acorns!
  • The only toxic look-alike to understand is the horse chestnut, which can be confused for the sweet chestnut you’re used to singing about and eating ar winter holidays. 

• Roots
  • Going underground for calories, vitamins, and minerals is so commonplace when you think about it. Why shouldn’t we find wild equivalents of beets, carrots, parsnips, and onions? There’s a wide variety of edible roots you can expect to find in the wilderness, so plan on devoting a decent amount of time to exploring your options. Identifying the above-ground plant is how you’ll know what you’ll find digging!
  • Toxic look-alikes to beware of include water hemlock (can be mistaken for wild carrots during its dormant stage) and death camas (not easily mistaken during its flowering peak, but can look like wild onions when entering the growing season and after wilting in fall.) 

Besides these commonly used wild food sources, you can also turn to insects for protein. Crickets and grasshoppers are underutilized in North America, but you don’t have to turn a blind eye when on the trail. Scoop them up and snack away if you’re game! 

I don’t know, though… I’d probably consider that ‘hunting’ instead of foraging.