5. Late Fall Greens
Spring is filled with the first greens of the season bursting forth from the thawing earth. As temperatures get warmer, they go to seed and disappear. But, in one last burst of energy, they reemerge right before winter so we get once last change to harvest them. This includes: dandelion, chickweed, bittercress (my favorite), and many more, but these are the most palatable to me. They are great as a trail nibble, or as an addition to any salad!
4. Winter Oyster
Though these are not my favorite mushroom, they are so abundant in the Southern Appalachia region that I couldn’t leave them off this list. The texture is similar to that of baby bella mushrooms, so if you like that, you’ll love these! A saprobic fungi, they can be found growing on the wood of dead or dying trees.
3. Persimmon
At this point of the year in North Alabama, many of the persimmons that can be found on the ground are far too ripe to be consumed, though there may still be some diamonds in the rough. However, more interesting would be the fruit that is still on the tree.
There is a preservation method with persimmons called Hoshigaki. It comes from Japan and involves hanging persimmons to air dry. I can only imagine that a wild persimmon clinging to its branch is a natural pseudo-hoshigaki! Nonetheless, once night temperatures drop, these fruits will become palatable (otherwise they are extremely astringent!)
2. Lion's Mane Mushroom
In our neck of the woods we are blessed with an abundance of this beautiful mushroom. It is beginner friendly (very difficult to mistake) and tastes wonderful just about any way you prepare it. But, if you’re looking for the best way, look no further than Forager Chef’s Lion’s Mane Crabcakes!
1. Acorns
This wild food will always hold a special place in my heart as my foraging gateway drug. One bite of acorn bread from acorns that I harvested and processed entirely on my own and I was a changed man!
There is a somewhat involved process that is required to get to that point, but it is so entirely worth it and there are a lot of tips to speed up the whole process and its efficiency!
Look out for my complete guide on making acorn bread, coming soon!
Get the Full List
There were so many wild foods I had to leave off this list to keep it at five. Plus, there are many more that I just haven’t had a chance to experiment with yet! To get my full list for the North Alabama/South Appalachia region, click the button below!
