Forests provide a range of valuable services—from clean air to beautiful wood products—but none are so fun to make use of as forest foods!
We’ve put together a list of recipes draw from the bounty found in Pacific Northwest forests – both wild and urban lands. Some were offered up or inspired by NNRG members, others collected from sources online.
Where it is safe and legal to forage your own ingredients from a forest or a backyard—at a safe distance from other folks—we recommend doing so for the freshest taste. If you can’t get into the woods safely at this time, look for the asterisk symbols next to the plant names for species that are often found in backyards. Or, put a pin in these recipes for later this year when it’ll be a easier and safer to do some foraging either in a forest near you or at your local farmer’s market.
And remember, always be sure of your plant identification before eating wild foods.
Urtica dioica | Spring | Native
Stinging nettles are common throughout North America, from the coast into the mountains. They are an understory component of riparian communities, and occur in moist sites along streams, forests, and disturbed areas with rich wet soil.
Stinging nettle is a tall deciduous perennial herb. The square stem and serrated opposite leaves are covered with stinging hairs that rise from a gland containing formic acid. It blooms May and June into tiny drooping clusters of flowers.
Stinging nettle leaves, stems, and roots are edible and medicinal. Nettles are considered a superfood and are especially high in calcium, protein, and trace minerals. Young leaves, harvested in early spring, are ideal for eating. Be careful and use gloves when harvesting. Once cooked or dried, nettles completely lose their sting.
Athyrium filix-femina | Spring | Native
Lady fern is found along the coast and wet interior regions at all elevations of the Northwest, and common in moist areas such as swamps, stream banks, wet forests, and clearings. Lady fern is tall and delicate, with fronds clustered, erect, and spreading from a basal cluster. The leaves are short, scaly at the base, much shorter than the blades; blades are lance-shaped, tapering at both ends. Fiddleheads are the tightly coiled tips of new shoots emerging in early spring.
Fiddleheads should be harvested in early spring when they are still tightly curled. The outside papery chaff should be removed before cooking. Their flavorful taste is described as a cross between asparagus and artichoke. Make sure to cook them thoroughly, as raw fiddleheads contain thiaminase, a vitamin B-depleting enzyme. Heat destroys this enzyme and makes fiddleheads safe to eat.
Fallopia japonica | Spring | Non-native
Japanese knotweed tolerates a wide variety of challenging conditions, including deep shade, high salinity, high heat, and drought, but is commonly found near riparian areas, forest edges, meadows, and fields.
One of the most invasive weeds in the world, Japanese knotweed is native to Asia, where it is regarded as having medicinal and edible value. The roots are high in resveratrol, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and manganese, and are used to help with numerous ailments. The young shoots are edible during the early spring and have a sour, almost rhubarb-like taste. They should be harvested before turning woody, and should be cooked or pickled to remove their oxalic acid.
This plant should be harvested in the Spring, while the canes are still under a foot tall.
Tips: Japanese knotweed roots very easily, even from small cuttings, and extensive cutting of the aboveground shoots can stimulate the belowground rhizomes to grow. Cut sparingly when harvesting, and consult your local Conservation District office for advice on Knotweed removal.
Portulaca oleracea | Spring to Summer | Non-native
Purslane is a trailing herbaceous annual that is often found thriving in disturbed areas like fields and roadsides. It grows in poor to average, dry to moist soils in full sun. Be sure not to confuse it with the poisonous Hairy-Stemmed Spurge.
It is distinctive for its