You don’t have to hike deep into forests and woodlands to find tasty and nutritious wild foods.
In fact, some of the best wild edible plants can be found right in your own backyard.
Whenever I want to add something foraged to my meals, I look around outside my house first, where I’m sure to find something growing right under my nose.
And you could do the same!
11 Edible Plants That May Be Growing Wild in Your Neighborhood
Need an excuse for a walk?
I’ve got your back.
Head outside and keep an eye out for these 11 edible plants that could be growing wild in your neighborhood.
1. Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
In late spring and summer, you may notice feathery, globe-shaped pink and purple flowers growing low in the grass in your neighborhood. If so, you’re in luck – those are red clovers, a perennial pasture plant that is completely edible.
Red clovers grow in wide-spreading clumps and patches and are sometimes planted as ground cover, as it helps to fix nitrogen in the soil and can be used as forage for poultry and cattle.
The red clover should be harvested in summer when more than 50% of the heads are in bloom. The flowers and leaves can be used in salads, and the flowers are often used to infuse tea and other hot and cold drinks.
2. Daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva)
You may know the daylily for its vibrant orange flowers that brighten the landscape in early summer and are often found in cultivated gardens.
This Asian native escaped cultivation in the early 1900s and can now be found growing along roadsides in meadows and other areas in the US.
This is great news for foragers, as the young shoots, flower buds, and root tubers of the daylily are all edible.
The buds are very versatile – they can be grilled, roasted, battered, sauteed, and pickled with only a little extra seasoning to make a delicious entree.
The small tubers can be dug up and used as a potato alternative, and the flowers make a beautiful addition to salads.
Daylilies are invasive, so feel free to forage the wild plants as often and abundantly as you like.
3. Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)
Not all wild foods have to be difficult to find. In fact some can be incredibly easy. The common dandelion, for example, can be found virtually everywhere across the US.
Dandelion plants get a lot of flack for their weedy, invasive nature, but I can’t hate these little plants. Every part, from the flowers to the leaves to the root, is edible and has been used as food and medicine for centuries.
This plant is packed with vitamins and minerals like magnesium, iron, and vitamins C and A among others.
You can make tea with the flowers, pickle their bulbs in place of capers, use their leaves in salads and sandwiches, and powder their roots into an excellent wild coffee substitute!
4. Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
Like the daylily and many other wild foods, garlic mustard is another plant that escaped cultivation to spread through most of the northeast, midwest, and parts of the southern US.
Garlic mustard is an invasive wild herb from the mustard family that can be found growing in woodlands, roadsides, and along the edges of creeks and forests.
The entire plant is edible and delicious, with a spicy garlic flavor and a very similar aroma that makes it easy to identify.
In Europe, garlic mustard has been used as a spice and seasoning for thousands of years, according to the Dumbarton Oaks Plant Humanities Initiative.
You can use this leafy green herb as a mild horseradish substitute in soups, stews, salads, and more.
5. Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta)
Yellow wood sorrel is one of many species of sorrel, but when it comes to eating, it’s my favorite. It is a perennial herb native to the US, though many consider it a weed.
You can identify yellow sorrel by its clusters of green heart-shaped leaflets that look remarkably similar to clovers.
Every year they produce bright yellow five-petaled flowers that bloom through spring to fall, and both the leaves and flowers are edible.
Yellow sorrel has a zesty, sour taste due to its high oxalic acid content. It can be enjoyed in typical dishes like salads and sandwiches, and in more unique ones, including as a flavoring for cold drinks and sweet sorbet!
One of my favorite ways to use wood sorrel is in pesto, where it adds a delicious lemony twist – it tastes especially good with fish like trout and salmon.
6. Chickweed (Stellaria media)
This humble plant may not seem very exciting at first glance, but don’t let that fool you – chickweed has some very underrated uses if you’re willing to try it.
Chickweed is an annual herb that sprouts up low to the ground throughout the year but grows most profusely in winter and spring.
It is a fresh, abundant wild green with a light flavor that works well in salads and sandwiches. It is a great source of essential vitamins and minerals like vitamins A C, and D, and iron and magnesium.
The name ‘chickweed’ refers to its use as poultry feed, because chickens love it! So even if you don’t want to eat it yourself, you can forage chickweed for a free and convenient food source for your feathery friends.
7. Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
Some Americans still think of sumac as a fairly exotic and unusual Middle Eastern spice, but that’s only because they don’t realize how common it is!
Staghorn sumac grows wild throughout the east and northeastern US. It often pops up along roadsides and highways, and the edges of woodlands, streams, and swamps.
It is named for the cluster of red and dark red berries that grow in an upright pyramidal shape and are covered with tiny red hairs, similar to the velvety cover of a stag horn. They are easy to distinguish from the green and white berries of the poisonous sumac.
Wild sumac can be used in the same way as shop-bought varieties. Use it to season savory dishes, add flavor to marinades and dressings, or – my personal favorite – as a delicious sweet-tart sumac lemonade!
I know some foragers who also love it as the central flavor profile in cake and muffin recipes, though I’ve yet to try it myself.
8. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
A useful and extremely nutritious plant, purslane is a broadleaf weed that can be found growing both wild and cultivated in most parts of the world. It’s an easy plant to find, which is fortunate given its many benefits.
While it looks unassuming, purslane is considered to be one of the most used medicinal plants across the globe per the World Health Organization.
It is jam-packed with antioxidants like vitamin C, A, melatonin, and Beta-carotene. But it is best known as an incredible source of essential omega-3 fatty acids, usually found in fish. Purslane has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than any other land-based plant!
Every part of the purslane plant, including its flowers, stems, leaves, and seeds is edible.
9. Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)
A tall, perennial wildflower species that can be found in many parts of the country, fireweed grows wild in open meadows, and along roadsides, streams, and forest edges.
It is fairly showy with long stems that produce clusters of pink flowers in summer and fall.
Every part of the fireweed is edible, and the plant itself contains high amounts of vitamins C and A.
The shoots, stems, leaves, and flowers are all best eaten when the plant is young since the parts will be more tender with a lighter flavor, and better suited for eating raw in salads.
The older it is, the tougher and more bitter the plant will be.
10. Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major)
Even if your neighborhood doesn’t have the best soil quality, it won’t deter this next edible plant. The broadleaf plantain is a perennial that grows profusely across eastern North America.
It is a hardy resilient weed that grows well in disturbed and often nutrient-poor soil.
Broadleaf plantain is known for its large, fibrous oval leaves that grow in a rosette formation, and the long flower stalks that emerge from its center.
The entire plant is edible, including the root. The leaves are best eaten when small and tender and added to salads and soups.
One of the most underrated parts of this plantain species is its seeds. Broadleaf plantain is related to the psyllium plant, which produces seeds that are commercially sold as fiber supplements.
Broadleaf seeds also contain high amounts of psyllium, helping with digestive health and inflammation.
11. Queen Ann’s Lace/Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)
The Queen Ann’s lace plant gives foragers a chance to gather wild carrots!
Being a part of the same family as carrots, the entire plant is completely edible, including its stems, leaves, and white flowers.
One of the best ways to identify QAL is by its scent – the entire plant, particularly the root, smells exactly like carrots.
Its roots are long, pale, and thin and can be used interchangeably with carrots in soups and stews. Its leaves and flowers go well in wild salads.
However, QAL should be harvested very carefully – it can be confused with hemlock and giant hogweed, which are extremely toxic.
According to the University of Minnesota Extension, touching QAL sap can also cause phytophotodermatitis in people with sensitive skin.
If you are completely new to foraging you may want to avoid this one.
Important Disclaimer: Safety and Responsibility in Foraging
It isn’t just Queen Ann’s Lace that you should be careful with. Foraging any kind of wild edible, even the most beginner-friendly, requires plenty of research and careful observation before gathering.
If you can’t ID a plant with 100% certainty don’t take it home!
Safe and responsible foraging also requires a good understanding of local ecosystems and plenty of consideration for the environment you explore.
Here are some tips for a successful foraging trip:
- Always harvest in moderation – unless it’s an invasive species!
- Avoid foraging for rare and endangered species
- Don’t forage along busy roadsides and highways
- Stay away from areas where heavy pesticides are used to treat weeds
- Be careful when foraging aquatic species grown in standing water, or near livestock and other farming activity
- Carefully wash everything you forage before consuming
