10 Delicious ways to use mulberries

(Note from Daryl:  This was originally shared in my urban foraging column on Examiner many years ago.) I shared how to easily harvest mulberries with your kids last week. Now, here are ten great ways to use your haul. A little about mulberries: You can use them in any recipe that calls for berries. If […]

15 Ways to Use Foraged Walnuts

15 more ways to use your foraged walnuts

I’m still busy cracking the walnuts I harvested last fall (I have over 14 cups of meats so far), and I’m still finding creative ways to use them. Here are some more easy recipes I discovered online. Many of them involve maple syrup, because the maple sap has been running and it’s another great treat […]

How to forage walnuts -- cracking the shells

Let’s get cracking! (those walnut meats)

Spring is FINALLY arriving in Minnesota, and it’s time to get back into the foraging mindset. Nothing’s ready to be picked yet, but I’ve got 3 large bags of walnuts that have been drying since last fall, and it’s warm enough to start opening them. So let’s get cracking! Materials: dried walnuts from last fall’s […]

How to forage walnuts

Foraging walnuts 101

Have you ever walked through a park in the fall and stumbled over what looks like green tennis balls? Are you ready to make use of the black walnuts you see scattered all over your neighborhood? Gathering them is easy, and you’ll have a stash of delicious and nutritious treats when you’re finished. Finding the […]

what to do with mulberries

Early summer foraging: Mulberries

It’s mulberry season! Mulberries are delicious treats that are easy to harvest and great to use in all kinds of recipes. I’ve written about them in the past, because mulberry picking is a great activity to do with the kids — and kids love to eat them! I detailed how to find and gather mulberries […]

Looking out for asparagus

The next time you’re driving along in the country, look out the window for clumps of spindly, dark green plants that look like wispy Christmas trees. Congratulations — you’ve found wild asparagus! It’s one of the most unknown of wild foods, which is a shame. It’s delicious, easy to harvest over quite a long period […]

11 Must-try ways to preserve elderberries

We’ll be picking wild elderberries soon, and after we get them off the stems we’ll need to cook with them or preserve them. This article is about preserving them for later. Why preserve them? According to Wildman Steve Brill: “Avoid unripe, green berries–they’ll get you sick. Even raw ripe elderberries make some people nauseous. Cooking […]

What is urban foraging anyway?

By Daryl I consider myself an urban forager, and many people have asked me exactly what I mean by that. To me, urban foraging is more than just walking through the woods (although that’s definitely a part of it). And it’s more than just wandering through town looking at people’s yards and gardens. First, let […]

12 Ways to preserve your pears

The pears are falling from the trees, so it’s time to collect as many as you can and put them up for the winter. Here’s a roundup of ideas I’ve tried (or will be trying very soon!) Pear butter, crockpot style Pear butter, stovetop style Freezing pears in syrup Spicy pear preserves Canning pears in […]

The wily wild plum

I took my children to Lake Shetek State Park in southwestern Minnesota today, and while chatting with the Park Ranger she mentioned there was a plum tree in the park, but she didn’t know where. We had a quest! We drove along the gravel roads, and I happened to look over at the right moment […]

Review: Wild Berries & Fruits Field Guide of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan by Teresa Marrone

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Purchases made through our links earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. RATING: ***** Wild Berries & Fruits Field Guide of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan by Teresa Marrone is by far the most indispensable foraging book I have ever owned, or even seen. It is […]

Making use of wild plums

I’ve written before about how to find the wily wild plum. Once you’ve located them and picked your fill (with your homemade fruit picker, of course), you’ll need to find a way to make use of your bounty. Here are a few ideas. Click on the blue links for the associated recipes. Preserving them Canning […]

Feral foraging: not-quite-wild fruit

Have you ever driven down the road and spotted an apple tree on an empty piece of land? That’s what I like. Finding an old farm, or where a house used to be, anywhere people planted fruit in the past but are no longer around to harvest it. I’ve even come up with a name […]

How to ID that unknown apple

We’ve been acquiring a lot of apples lately, and some of them are just plain mysteries. They’re either from old properties, gifts, or sometimes it’s just from “that tree in the yard”. A local man sells apples in his driveway, and one of his varieties is called “Tree #2” because when he bought the house […]

Rediscovering “lost” apples

It can be nearly impossible to identify unknown apples, especially feral ones. There are a few ways to narrow it down, but Seed Savers Exchange orchard manager Dan Bussey is writing a book about 20,000 named apple varieties in the US, and there are probably many more out there that are lost to time. And […]

Getting orchard apples for a fraction of the price

Do you want to try some high-end apples at bargain basement prices? Culled apples are the way to go! In my article about urban foraging, I mentioned asking produce sellers for “canning” or “freezing” grade fruits and vegetables, which are the “not-so-perfect” ones. Some orchards do the same thing with apples — they’re called the […]

Apple foraging in action

While 2014 wasn’t a good year for mulberries or acorns, it was a banner year for apples. We had many more than we could possibly process, and had to leave some trees untouched. We have over 400 pounds of apples (about 8 bushels) either already processed or waiting, with more on the way. They were […]

Finding next year’s asparagus

May is when you’ll be harvesting wild asparagus, but the time to find it is now! Starting in June and July, wild asparagus grows tall. It branches out and goes to seed, looking very much like a spindly Christmas tree (complete with little red and green seed ball decorations). If you know what you’re looking […]

New test kit detects toxins in wild mushrooms

Have you always wanted to forage for wild mushrooms but you were afraid of accidentally collecting a poisonous variety? A new crow-funded invention could change all that. Most would-be mushroom hunters are generally discouraged from the hobby when introduced to the activity without the aid of an experienced mushroom hunter or guide in fear of […]

Maple syrup can help save your life

Everyone knows that real maple syrup is delicious and nutritious, but now it turns out it may help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria as well. It’s been known for a while that maple syrup is good for your health in many ways, including nutrients like riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, calcium and potassium and 54 different antioxidants. It’s much […]

It’s asparagus time!

The wild asparagus has finally arrived in our part of Minnesota. It was late this year, and we had checked for weeks with no sign. But when an asparagus spear appeared in our garden, we knew it was time to look again. We had our previous patches marked on our map, and as they turned […]

Foraged Wild Asparagus

10 great ways to use wild asparagus

It’s harvest season for wild asparagus, and here are 10 ways to enjoy it now or preserve it for later. First, unless you’re using the entire stem, you’ll need to process it. Break off the bottom inch or so — if the stem is too woody, it will bend instead of snapping cleanly. You can […]