- Foraging in Minnesota: Blueberries
Most Minnesota foragers—whether berry seekers or not—are familiar with blueberries.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Wild Plums
When it comes to foraging, nothing says “end of summer” like wild plums. During those late August/early September days of cool mornings and moderately warm afternoons, I know without looking that American and Canada plums are coming ripe.
Prunus, spp.
Most people don’t know it, but Minnesota is home to two species of wild plums.
American plum (Prunus ...
- Foraging in Minnesota: Chicken of the Woods
Do they really taste like chicken? If you’re not too critical, yes.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Wild Grapes
Wild grape jelly is, admittedly, better than the stuff from the store. I say “admittedly” because I’d heard such claims and didn’t believe them— until I made my own.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Sand Cherry
In Minnesota, Sand cherry is an inhabitant of dry— if not barren—places. Literally, think sand. In my quest to find P. pumila this year, I was most successful in the drier places of east central, west central, and northwest Minnesota.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Stinging Nettles
The growing season has begun, when many useful and tasty greens will appear. This includes one plant which is easily overlooked, if not considered a downright nuisance: the stinging nettle.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Snozzberries
If you’re reading this, you probably don’t know what you’re missing. Everybody else is in the woods. The snozzberries are out.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Blackberries
It’s blackberry season. As I sit typing this out in mid-August, I have a hunch there are literally tons of them out there going unpicked.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Hedgehog Mushrooms
I place hedgehog mushrooms in the top echelon of wild mushrooms, right up there with hen of the woods, chanterelles, and black trumpets. It’s worth a trip to the woods hoping to find even a couple, especially if you’ve never before had the pleasure.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Juneberries
Never had juneberries? I’m not surprised.They’re easy to miss, but maybe you should give them a closer look. Despite having a mild, less-than-distinct flavor, juneberries (AKA serviceberries, saskatoons )are worth targeting.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Dwarf Raspberries
Every year about this time there is a lull in the foraging season here in Minnesota. The early season has passed and the frenzy over morels, fiddleheads, and ramps is over. However, the Dwarf raspberry is here now to take center stage.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Wild Strawberries
If you’re itching to get out and pick some wild berries this year, I have good news for you: the strawberries are in. Wild strawberries are a good way to get kids interested in foraging, or at least engage them in conversation about where food comes from.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Ostrich Ferns
The Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is gaining in popularity in the foraging community. Learn how to identify and cook this springtime treat.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Ramps
You might say excitement for the spring foraging season is, well, ramping up. Both popular and a delicious addition to many meals this time of year, ramps are a highly sought item in the woods. Allium tricoccum and Allium burdickii are similar but separate species. Minnesota is host to both, but A. tricoccum is by ...
- Foraging in Minnesota: Black Cherry
I’m sure you’ve heard of “black cherry,” either as a flavoring or as a type of wood. For me, the name evokes a certain flavor of candy. But did you know it’s a harvestable fruit here in Minnesota? Yes, it is.
- Do Something New: Tapping Maple Trees and Making Syrup
This year I tried tapping maple trees and making maple syrup in Itasca County, in northern Minnesota. I had to learn how to make maple syrup, but it was worth the time and effort.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Chaga
Foraging for chaga in Minnesota is getting popular. Know where to find it and how to prepare it as chaga tea. Inonotus obliquus has been known for hundreds of years as a medicinal fungus; do yourself a favor and give it a try.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Cranberries
Minnesota is host to two different varieties of wild cranberry: Vaccinium macrocarpon and Vaccinium oxycoccos. They can be found in the many swamps and bogs in northern and eastern Minnesota, and much of that is on public lands.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Maitake
Grifola frondosa is a sought-after mushroom. It doesn’t seem to get the hype that morels and others do, but Grifola frondosa is one of the best-tasting, most versatile, all-around great mushrooms.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Wild Hazelnuts
Wild hazelnuts are like a smaller version of the cultivated varieties, and Minnesota is host to both the American and Beaked hazelnuts. Know where and when to look for them, as well as how to identify them in the field and what to do with them.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Chokecherries
Chokecherries are widespread in Minnesota, as well as in northern and western United States. Their flavor, once extracted from the heavily-pitted fruits, is unique and delicious.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Thimbleberries
The Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) is native to Minnesota, but is not necessarily abundant. Closely related to the raspberry, it tastes somewhat similar, but has its own unique flavor and charm.
- Foraging in Minnesota: Chanterelles
Along with morels, hen of the woods, and a few others, chanterelles are one of the most popular mushrooms for foragers in Minnesota. Their mild, sweet flavor is very desirable in the kitchen, however there are several look-alikes which need to be avoided.
- Foraging in Minnesota: The Early Season, Part 1
The Minnesota spring foraging season offers much more than just morel mushrooms. Fiddlehead ferns (ostrich ferns), ramps, pheasant back mushrooms, greens, and more are all widespread and available for the taking.
If there was a beauty contest for fungus, I know one that would probably come in last: chaga. Resembling a black scaly scab on the wound of a birch tree, there is really nothing attractive about it. 
