The Lost Art of Foraging and How To Start

The splash of orange glowed brightly against the darkness of the early morning forest, the color standing out against the black bark of a rotting tree that lay about one hundred yards to my left. I knew immediately what it was, and grabbed the hand of my three-year-old daughter to steer her in that direction.

It was early Fall in Southern Ohio, and we were bowhunting for whitetail. However, whenever I am in the woods – no matter what time of year – I am always looking for other wild foods to forage. This bright pop of color that was growing deep in the hardwoods of public land was an edible mushroom commonly referred to as “Chicken of The Woods”, and is one of my favorite mushrooms to come across. Not only is it easy to identify with no poisonous look a likes, but it is very versatile to use in many dishes. It is called “Chicken of the Woods” because it truly does taste like chicken, particularly when breaded and fried in hot oil.

I grew up learning how to forage and identify plants that were both poisonous and edible. As an adult, I took the knowledge I had and continued to pursue it to learn more about what kind of food could be found in the woods besides the meat that was walking around in the form of animals.

The art of foraging isn’t as common as it once was. On the contrary, many people will look at you like you’re crazy when you say you gathered some mushrooms from the woods or start eating some berries from a bush growing in a ditch on the side of a backroad. The idea of gathering and eating things that aren’t pre-packaged and labeled for use is foreign to many people. Yet not so long ago it was a way of life. People either grew their food, hunted their food, or foraged their food – often all three.

Although foraging may seem a bit bizarre to some people, many hunters show in interest in it yet just don’t know how or where to start. It can be intimidating to try to identify a plant or mushroom, only to read that there are toxic look a likes that can cause stomach illness or vomiting. However, I promise foraging doesn’t have to be complicated or scary.

Start Small

There are literally thousands of plants, berries, mushrooms and assorted other things to forage for in the woods, and no one should expect to be able to identify them right away. As someone who has been foraging for most of my life, I still stick to what I know and if I have any doubts as to what it is I don’t pick it. Start with a common mushroom such as morels or chicken of the woods, or a fruit such as persimmon and mulberry. Not only are they easily identifiable, but there are no poisonous look a likes. Mushrooms such as chanterelles and oysters for example, have several toxic look alikes and thus should only be picked if you are 100% sure that you have a positive ID.

Identification Books

These are always a great idea to have on hand, even if you like to look things up on your phone the internet world can be full of misinformation and can also be confusing. Investing in a good identification book can be extremely helpful, and I have found it to be a better learning tool than the internet. You can choose to carry a book with you while hunting, or bring your foraged foods back home before identifying them. Check out Peterson’s Guides as well as Audubon Guides as a starting point.

I would also like to make a note here, that it’s always a good idea to carry a cloth or mesh bag in your backpack or pocket while walking or hunting in the woods – cheap laundry bags from the dollar store make great bags to carry mushrooms in! Plus they weigh nothing to pack in with you.

Types of Food To Forage

No matter where you live in the United States, there are many easy edible plants and mushrooms to forage for and there is something to look for in every season. Here is a list of a few common ones I find in Ohio that I suggest taking a look at and searching for. Keep in mind that many of these are season specific so keep that in mind when you go out looking!

Morel Mushrooms (probably the most foraged mushroom out there)

Chicken mushrooms

Pheasantback mushrooms

Autumn olive

Dandelion

Wild Blackberry

Wild Raspberry

Mulberry

Elderberry (needs to be cooked)

Pawpaw

ersimmon

Wild onions

Wild garlic

Sassafrass

Clearly there are many more options, however these offer a great starting point!

Cooking/Preserving

Knowing how to prepare your foraged foods is key – some things such as elderberry need to be cooked before consuming or it will make you sick. Yet other things like dandelions, are best when turned into some other dish such as fritters or jelly. Most berries can be eaten plain, or made into pies and jams. Mushrooms are often best sauteed into a dish or fried.

If you come across a lot of a specific mushroom/berry etc. it’s also usually fairly easy to preserve them as well. Nearly everything I forage for can be frozen in some way or another, and it’s a great way to preserve your harvest for later in the season.

Just Go For It

It may seem like a lot of information to take in at first, however especially if you are someone who enjoys hiking, hunting, or anything that puts you in the woods for periods of time – you will sooner or later come across some type of forage-able food. Everyone has to start somewhere, and there is no time like now to start obtaining knowledge and becoming more self sufficient when it comes to food!