As rewarding as it is to grow our own food in gardens and orchards, the woods are filled with food that grows best when we don’t intervene. The reward unrealized for many in foraging isn’t just that amazing free food, the act of foraging satisfies a primal urge. We survived for tens of thousands of years by hunting and gathering, we’re wired for it. Retails know this and have designed a shopping experience that feels like foraging. Ever wonder why you were really excited to buy something, then a few weeks later felt no attachment to the thing you bought? It was likely the finding of the thing that brought you joy, not so much the thing itself.
Wherever you live, if there is natural land, there is food even if you didn’t plant it. About half our property is wooded and we intend to keep it that way. Outside of maintaining a few walking trails and removing large fallen trees (and trying to remove invasive honeysuckle), we leave it be. Natural habitat allows deer, turkeys, rabbits and bobcats to live call our woods home. It also provides the perfect habitat for some of our favorite foods.
Depending on where you live, your forest finds could be much different from ours. Here in northwestern Missouri, these are our favorites, spring to fall.
Mushrooms- Morels, Chicken of the Woods and Oyster Mushrooms are plentiful in our woods. A word of caution, ALL mushrooms need to be properly identified before eaten. Nearly all mushrooms have poisonous look-a-likes so either go looking for them with someone who has years of experience or take an identification class which is often offered by your local conservation center. Some mushrooms can also be stored by freezing or drying. I prefer to dry morels.
Blackberries- Wild blackberries are delicious and make an amazing jam. They’re also earned. Here, they are ready to pick around mid-July when its often in the 90s, extremely humid and every biting bug will pick you for the next meal. They have thorns and tend to grow with poison ivy. So not the funnest berry to pick. However, they can grow in massive clusters and only last a short time. I go picking early in the morning with gloves, long sleeves and overalls tucked into my mud boots to help prevent bites and poison ivy contact. As soon as I come in the clothes go straight in the wash I go straight to the shower. Again, they can be made into jam or to freeze them lay them out on a cookie sheet in the freezer for a few hours then scrape them into freezer bags. This will prevent them from clumping together.
Paw Paws- We’re lucky to have these in our woods. They are available to buy as saplings through the Missouri Conservation Department and sell out almost as quickly as they become available. The fruit doesn’t fully ripen until late summer/early fall. When it is ripe it is soft, like pudding. We sometimes eat it with a spoon and have baked with it as well.
Walnuts and Hickory Nuts- These are in season around the same time as paw paws. Both are delicious but only one is easy. Black walnuts are difficult to open, stain your hands, have to be hulled right away then washed and dried. It is recommended that you freeze them which will allow them to be edible for a year. Here is a fantastic guide on the entire process from the Iowa State University Extension.
Learn about nature’s foods, how to identify them and how to eat them. Many are believed to have medicinal benefits, and most are packed with excellent nutrients and antioxidants. If that isn’t compelling enough, what better way to connect with your primal mind than to literally feed it. Besides, the experience cost nothing, unlike that had to have pair of jeans that got worn twice before landing in the back of the dresser drawer.
Audrey L Elder
Fourteen Acre Wood
Â
Â