Foraging in Fall and How Forests Feed Both People and Wildlife

By Jennifer Hunt (Content Writer) and Shane Fuller (Certified Wildlife Biologist)

Fall is a magical time in the forest. Leaves are crispy and crunchy beneath your feet, and the forest floor is teeming with life. Despite the seasonal change of decay and preparing for dormancy, the forest looks alive with vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. Not only is fall a beautiful and contemplative season, but it’s also an excellent opportunity for foraging, including mushrooms, nuts, and late-season greens. Let’s explore what is edible for humans and what sustains wildlife this season.

Foraging for Fungi

Fungi lovers are not disappointed in the fall, as there are several popular edible varieties available, including chanterelles, puffballs, and hen-of-the-woods. Here’s where to look for each variety:

• Chanterelles: Look in conifer and deciduous forests with oaks, beeches, Douglas-fir, and spruce trees. They tend to grow near water sources and prefer humid, mossy environments. Their golden yellow color boldly stands out against the green and brown of the forest floor and dirt. If you see something similar growing from the wood itself, don’t eat it. Stick to the ones on the ground. As chanterelles age, they tend to take on a vase shape, and the false gills underneath are thickened ridges or wrinkles.
• Puffballs: These aptly named mushrooms look quite a bit like their moniker. They tend to grow in the Eastern and Central United States in forests, pastures, and even well-fertilized areas like lawns and gardens. Puffballs grow directly on the ground and are solid and snow white throughout. This species can grow quite large, with some as big as 8 feet wide. Of course, you don’t have to wait until they reach that size to harvest; some are only an inch or two in diameter.
• Hen-of-the-Woods: Maitake, aka Hen-of-the-Woods, only grows east of the Rockies on dead or dying trees, typically at the base of oak trees. In September through November, they’re more frequently found in older forests rather than young or plantation forests. An important point for identification is that they don’t have gills but pores, and other polypore varieties have more visible pores than others.

Always double-check your mushroom identification before ingesting them. Use field guides or apps to ensure that the mushroom you’re about to cook with dinner is what you think it is! To add more to your foraging bounty, there are other opportunities for delicious, wild foodstuffs, including nuts and greens.

Nuts about Nuts

Not only do forests provide mushrooms, but there are several other edible delights to search for. Acorns are abundant across the country, although certain locations are exceedingly productive, including Appalachia, the Southwest, the Midwest, and California. Native oaks drop acorns from September to November, so keep your eyes trained on the ground. Acorns need to be boiled in multiple changes of water to remove the bitter tannins, but once that process is complete, acorns can be processed in numerous ways. Some roast acorns and eat them as a snack, while others grind them into a flour to use in bread or pancakes.

Black walnuts are native to 32 states and grow well in bottomland and upland forests. They grow especially well in Appalachia and parts of the Midwest, thanks to the climate, soils, and topography. Like acorns, black walnuts can be harvested after falling on the ground from September to October. Cleaning and processing black walnuts can be labor-intensive, especially as the hulls can be hard to crack. Some may opt for equipment, while others simply stomp on them to remove the hulls. Then, the walnuts need to be washed and cured or dried before being processed. Always be sure to wear gloves when working with black walnuts, as the green hulls will stain your skin. A quick note about black walnuts versus English walnuts: English walnuts are native to Iran and are commercially grown in the United States as their shells are easier to crack. The flavor profile is milder and sweeter compared to the black walnut, which has a bolder, more complex flavor.

Don’t Forget Your Greens

There are several forageable greens depending on location, but some popular varieties are dandelion and sorrel. Dandelions are ubiquitous and easily recognizable, and all parts are edible. There are no toxic lookalikes either, making dandelions a safe foray into foraging for greens. Avoid picking them in areas that are chemically treated with pesticides and herbicides. Dandelions have several uses, whether adding the leaves to a salad in place of spicy arugula or making tea from the flowers.

Sorrel is another good beginning forager green, as it is easy to identify, specifically common sorrel, sheep sorrel, and violet sorrel. The leaves are described as citrusy and tangy, and many like to use them for garnishes or mixed in sauces or pestos. Sheep sorrel is naturalized throughout most of North America, and while some consider it a troublesome weed, others use it for medicinal purposes.

Foraging Rules and Tips

Many foragers abide by the rule of thirds: take a third for yourself, leave a third for animals, and leave a third for the plant to regenerate naturally. Here are some other important tips to be a responsible forager:

• Always be certain of your identification before ingesting any food that you have foraged.
• Only forage in areas that are not treated chemically with pesticides and herbicides. Stay away from industrial areas and roadways.
• Always get permission before foraging on private property. Some public lands require permits, so be sure to check before your next foraging outing.
• Use proper tools for foraging and be respectful of the surrounding plant life.
• Leave no trace. This is an essential rule of thumb when doing any outdoor activities, by not leaving any trash or damage after passing through an area.

By following these guidelines, human foragers can ensure they leave enough food for animals and plants to regenerate.

Wildlife is Foraging, Too

Not surprisingly, animals eat similar foods to humans. Here’s a breakdown:

• Nuts and Seeds: Eastern grey squirrels, turkeys, deer, and black bears all feast on acorns. Squirrels cache the nuts for winter, and bears fill up to fatten up before hibernation. In the Midwest and Northeast, wild turkeys scratch through leaf litter to find acorns, especially during mast seasons.
• Berries and Fruits: Black bears enjoy late-season blackberries and huckleberries, and white-tailed deer like crabapples and persimmons when available. Cedar Waxwings are well-known for their love of berries, including mountain ashberries and dogwood berries.
• Fungi: White-tailed deer, box turtles, and red squirrels eat fall mushrooms to contribute to a varied diet. Eastern box turtles even enjoy mushrooms that are toxic to humans! The red squirrels harvest their mushrooms and leave them on tree branches to dry before storing them for the winter months.

As you make your way into areas to do some of your own foraging, respect wildlife as they prepare for the upcoming season. Stay a safe distance away and bring binoculars to get a closer look. Bring a notebook to jot down your observations about wildlife’s preferences. What kind of food do they enjoy most? How to forage for it and store it?

Enjoy the Earth’s Bounty Responsibly

Fall foraging reminds us that the forest is a living community. Every acorn buried by a squirrel and every berry eaten by a bird plays a role in shaping the next season’s growth. As we enjoy the bounty of autumn, let’s respect the balance and take only what we need, leave plenty behind, and respect how both people and wildlife prepare for winter in their own way.