Foraging Guide

The Asiatic Dayflower really gets around. Native to East and Southeast Asia, it’s spread across Europe and much of North America, where …

OK, discussion of Black Nightshade as a wild edible should only begin with a WARNING and serious words of caution. All parts …

A prolific chaparral wild plant, California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica) grows near most hilly and mountain trails I explore. It can grow from …

Though more commonly known for its berries, flowering heads from the elderberry tree have been foraged for thousands of years. The flowers …

Fennel was one the first wild edibles I learned about in California. Its unmistakable licorice-like scent is intoxicating. When in doubt, just …

Hollyleaf Cherry (and its subspecies Catalina Cherry) is a wild fruit tree native in California (including Baja) chaparral. It looks a bit …

Juniper is a commonly cultivated ornamental bush in Southern California. But a native variety, Juniperus californica (California Juniper), grows wild on arid …

Lamb’s quarters are one of the best-known and most nutritious wild edible greens. They’re know by several names: lamb’s-quarters, pigweed, goose foot …

Mallow is a soft tasty leaf good in fresh salads. Use it like lettuce and other leafy greens. You may find the …

Milk thistle is most commonly sought for its medicial properties of preventing and repairing liver damage. But most parts of the plants …

Moreton Bay Fig, Ficus macrophylla, is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 200′ tall with a massive trunk. Long sprawling …

Olive trees grow all over the San Fernando Valley. Native to the Mediterranean, missionaries planted them here in the 1800s. By now, …

Like all cactus, the Peruvian Apple cactus’ buds and fruit are edible. Its gorgeous big showy white flowers make it a very …

People often mistake pineapple weed for chamomile. I myself made this easy mistake when I first started noticing it growing along the …

Prickly pear cactus is a wild edible that’s also cultivated here in Southern Cali. You can find it growing in the hills …

Botanical name: Salvia columbariae I first encountered this plant while hiking an Apple Valley trail. Its flower balls clued me that it …

Botanical name: Salvia mellifera Black sage grows off the hook here my hood! Fields of it. I find it all over the …

Botanical name: Salvia apiana White sage is commonly used in smudge sticks. I’d been collecting it for years for this purpose before …

Few people realize seaweed has more protein than most meats, and tends to be rich in vitamin C. And with rare exceptions, …

Sticky Monkey Flowers are one of my favorite wild bouquet flowers. I pick them atop our towering neighborhood cliffs. They’re often nestled …

Unfortunate hikers know this plant’s aggravating sting. Brushing up against it with your skin causes an unforgettable stinging sensation. Small sharp hairs …

Stork’s Bill, also called filaree, grows off the freakin’ hook in chaparral surrounding Los Angeles. Here in my hood, it’s one of …

There are scores of varieties of wild lettuce, each with a different leaf shape and growth habits. Some have long thin oblong …

Wild mustard sprouts up in early Spring as small green leafy bunches close to the ground. In fields with rich soil and …

The wild radish plant (Raphanus raphanistrum) is quite similar to wild mustard, and is in fact a member of the brassicaceae (mustard) …

Like domestic roses, the flowers and hips of wild roses are edible. They’re a great source of vitamin C. Most famously, rose …

Wood sorrel looks a lot like a large shamrock. Its heart-shaped leaves are folded through the middle, and grow in groups of …

I think of yucca as Southwest manna. It’s one of the most useful and interesting plants, feels like a gift. Uses include …