Foraging

Every fall, I have to fight the basic human instinct to stop and pick every piece of low-hanging fruit I see. A handful here or there is fine if you just need a snack, but if your goal is to stock the pantry or even make a small batch of jam, try not to be seduced by every solitary plum and spend...

Myths, lies and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bullsh*t, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at factchecker...

Finding morels can be a challenging task for new foragers. I vividly remember the struggle to find my first morels; it felt as if I walked every square inch of woods where they didn’t grow. Later I realized I had been far too fixated on looking down. Rookie mistake. Veteran foragers know the best...

Some folks suffer from morel-induced tunnel vision during springtime foraging season. They’ll step over ramps and allow fiddleheads to go unpicked, but perhaps the spring edible most frequently encountered—and ignored—is the pheasant back mushroom. Also known as the dryad’s saddle, this beginner...

So you’ve found yourself with more wild mushrooms than you can eat in one sitting. That’s not a problem anyone complains about, but finding ways to preserve them can be a challenge. Dehydrating mushrooms is great for some particular varieties, but not for every species. That’s when freezing comes in...

If you're into foraging, this time of year can be downright painful—waiting for temperatures to rise and morels to pop can make for some of the longest weeks of the year. As winter finally relaxes its grip, you begin cruising Facebook groups and foraging forums. After months of radio silence...

“That deer looked fresh,” I said to Dad as we passed a road-killed doe on our way to hunt. It was the last week of Pennsylvania’s late muzzleloader season and we needed meat. After turning around a mile up the mountain, using precious daylight in a month starved for sun, we found the doe’s body was...

Mushroom hunting runs deep in the outdoors adventure community. It’s a great way to get kids outside to learn about nature, and it’s a solid way to stock the food reserves. For me, there is nothing better than hiking through the woods, feeling the crunch of the duff under my feet, the wind on my...

Most mushroom hunters call it quits after morels stop popping in spring, but that shouldn’t be the case. Edible mushrooms can be foraged year-round (even winter), and the mild temperatures of fall inspire growth that’s second only to spring. Here are 12 edible, wild mushrooms to look for this autumn...

The cattail swamp is a place we look out upon but rarely venture into, like the highest mountains or the deepest sea. The reasons to dive deep or climb high are clear to some of us: adventure, solitude, challenge. But why bother mucking out into the swamp? Cattails offer lots and lots of food...

Spring is a glorious time of year. Nature wakes from its winter slumber, turkey season kicks off, open water fishing gets into full swing, and best of all, foraging opportunities begin to sprout at every turn. Right now, we are smack dab in the middle of the season for ramps, also known as wild...

When I go mushroom hunting, I’m satisfied if I find enough just to fill a sauté pan. Usually that means cleaning a dozen morels to make a meal, but these foragers could feed a family with just a single harvest. Here are some of the biggest morels ever picked. Jasi Butler. West Virginia. 2020.This...