One of my favorite things to do while hiking is foraging. Foraging from trees is a wonderful way to connect with nature and add to your larder as well.
When done safely and responsibly, you can enjoy fresh, nutritious foods while respecting Mother Nature. Trees offer fruits, nuts, syrup, and even leaves. Just make sure you’re foraging in areas where it’s legal, and never take more than you need.
Here are 10 trees you can safely forage from, along with a few tips about what you’ll find and how to enjoy them.
1. Apple Trees
Apple trees are perhaps the most familiar tree to forage from. Wild or heirloom apple varieties can often be found growing in untended orchards or even along country roads. Apples can be harvested in late summer through early fall. These fruits can be eaten fresh, baked into pies, or turned into applesauce. Be sure to wash them thoroughly, especially if they’re near roadsides where dust and pollution can settle.
2. Oak Trees
Oak trees might not provide fruit, but their acorns are a valuable wild food. While raw acorns are bitter due to tannins, they can be leached in water to make them edible. Once prepared, acorns are a great source of carbohydrates and can be ground into flour for baking. Forage for acorns in the fall, when they fall to the ground in abundance.
3. Mulberry Trees
Mulberry trees produce sweet, juicy berries that resemble blackberries. These trees are often found growing wild in urban and rural areas. Mulberries ripen in late spring or early summer and can be eaten fresh or used in jams, pies, and smoothies. Their fragile nature means they don’t store well, so it’s best to enjoy them quickly after picking.
4. Black Walnut Trees
Black walnut trees offer a rich and nutritious nut encased in a tough green husk. The nuts are typically ready for foraging in the fall. Extracting black walnut meat can be tricky due to the hard shell, but the reward is worth the effort. The nuts have a bold, earthy flavor and are delicious in baked goods or as a snack.
5. Pine Trees
Pine trees offer more than just Christmas décor! You can safely forage for pine nuts from certain pine species, like pinyon pines, though they can be labor-intensive to gather.
Pine needles are also useful, especially when brewed into tea, which is high in vitamin C. Be sure to properly identify the pine species, as not all types are safe for consumption, such as Ponderosa Pine.
6. Sugar Maple Trees
Sugar maples are well-known for their sweet sap, which is boiled down to make maple syrup. If you have access to a sugar maple tree, you can tap it in late winter to early spring when the sap begins to flow. Just a few taps can provide enough sap to make delicious syrup, though it requires boiling to concentrate the sugars.
7. Persimmon Trees
Persimmon trees produce delicious orange fruits that ripen in the fall. American persimmons are sweet when fully ripe but can be astringent if picked too early. Once soft and fully ripe, the fruits are perfect for baking into bread, muffins, or simply enjoying as a snack. Be sure to leave any under-ripe persimmons on the tree until they soften naturally.
8. Chestnut Trees
Chestnut trees offer a rich harvest of edible nuts, typically in the fall. Unlike acorns, chestnuts don’t require extensive preparation to enjoy. Simply roast them over a fire or in the oven to bring out their sweet, nutty flavor. Chestnuts are also a wonderful addition to stuffing or soups during colder months.
9. Elder Trees
Elder trees are famous for their clusters of small, dark purple berries and creamy white flowers. The berries, which ripen in late summer, can be used in syrups, jellies, and wines, while the flowers can be fried into fritters or brewed into tea. Always cook elderberries before eating, as raw berries can be slightly toxic.
10. Birch Trees
Birch trees, especially the sweet birch variety, offer edible bark and sap. The sap is harvested in spring and can be boiled down to make birch syrup. The inner bark is also edible and has been used traditionally to make flour or teas. Birch sap has a light, refreshing taste and is often enjoyed as a drink straight from the tree.
