From fruits to nuts to wild mushrooms, discover what wild edibles abound in our region in the autumn

American persimmon — red-spotted purple enjoying an american persimmon. photo by judy gallagher via flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Flowing more than 400 miles from the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River shapes a wide variety of habitats, winding through a landscape rich in biodiversity.

For centuries, the wide array of plant communities along the river has been vital for sustaining regional wildlife, from monarch butterflies to black bears. The seasonal availability of wild fruits, grains, seeds, and nuts provides essential calories for wildlife at critical times of the year—for instance, when animals are preparing for periods of winter dormancy or are feeding newly born offspring during the late spring and early summer.

During the fall, wildlife along the Potomac River seizes the opportunity to stockpile resources and load up on calories, foraging for seasonal edibles in preparation for winter. However, while this autumn nutritional boost is essential for regional wildlife, humans can also eat many of the wild fruits, herbs, and nuts found in the Potomac River region.

In fact, humans have been harvesting wild plants found along the river for centuries!

A glimpse into the history of foraging

chestnuts. photo by jokin lacalle via flickr (CC BY 2.0)

In terms of human history, the mastery of agriculture and the domestication of livestock is a relatively recent development—all of it happened within the last 10,000 years. However, long before the transition to farming, humans foraged for sustenance. There’s even evidence the earliest modern humans, Homo sapiens, foraged for food more than two million years ago. Even after the domestication of plants and animals, foraging for wild edibles remained a common practice for many cultures.

In the Potomac River region, foraging has been an essential part of the human diet since the end of the last Ice Age nearly 10,000 years ago. After the ice melted and temperatures continued to warm, the landscape changed significantly—deciduous forests spread far and wide, and rising sea levels created new regional waterways. After the massive thaw, the region’s resourceful Paleolithic peoples learned to glean calories from the ever-evolving ecosystems surrounding them, harvesting wild nuts, fruits, tubers, and grains.

Even after the transition to agriculture, seasonal foraging supplemented the diets of the Potomac River region’s Indigenous people, including Piscataway, Pamunkey, Nanticoke, Mattaponi, Chickahominy, Monacan, and Powhatan communities. And, fall was an especially bountiful time, with trees like oaks, chestnuts, and hickories producing wild nuts, and wild fruits like pawpaws and persimmons reaching optimal ripeness.

More recently, the practice of foraging has experienced a revival in the United States. Today, you can find organizations in the national capital area offering guides, educational programs, and other resources highlighting the region’s native plant communities. These include the Maryland Native Plant Society, the Virginia Native Plant Society, and the Mycological Association of Washington, DC.

There is plenty to forage in the DC region, even in urban areas. Here are just a few of the wild edibles you can find along the Potomac River this fall!

Pawpaws

pawpaw. photo by matthew beziat via flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

The largest edible fruit that evolved in North America, wild pawpaws are the fruit of the pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba), which is actually a member of the tropical Annonaceae family. Rich in vitamins and nutrients, with a flavor often compared to mangos and bananas, the hardy fruit was historically harvested and consumed by both Indigenous communities and European settlers in the Potomac River region. In fact, in the Shawnee language, the month of September is even named for the seasonal fruit.

When ripe, pawpaws are popular with wildlife, including birds, opossums, squirrels, raccoons, and white-tailed deer. Even Virginia-born George Washington wrote about his fondness for the delectable fruit.

Pawpaws can be found along the Potomac River, typically appearing and ripening from August until late November. The tropically-flavored fruit is easily incorporated into a variety of recipes.

🍮 Check out this easy recipe for a pawpaw quick bread, or, if you want to try a dessert instead, try this tasty pawpaw pudding.

American persimmon

Although Asian persimmons are common in the United States, there’s a variety that evolved in the Potomac River region too.

Found in the southeastern part of the country, common persimmon trees also produce fruit in the fall. A vitamin-rich favorite for wildlife like deer, songbirds, and squirrels, persimmon fruit was also widely consumed by both Indigenous communities and European settlers.

Smaller than the persimmons native to Asia, the American variety (Diospyros virginiana) bears orange fruit that can be bitter during the early part of the fall season, slowly becoming sweeter later in autumn after the temperature drops in late October and early November. However, in the Potomac River region, some years the wild fruit can even be harvested in January and February.

🍞 With a texture almost like a tomato, the versatile fruits have a flavor profile suited to a wide range of sweet and savory dishes, like this hearty black walnut and wild persimmon bread.

Acorns

Wild nuts, like acorns, are the ultimate survival food—especially for wildlife. More than 100 species consume the protein-dense nuts during the fall, including black bears, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and a wide variety of birds, like crows and wild turkeys. White-tailed deer even rely on acorns to provide the bulk of their fall and winter calories.

An exceptionally diverse tree, there are more than 500 distinct oak species worldwide—and a variety of oaks are native to Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. In terms of foraging, there are generally two different groups of oaks that produce acorns: red oaks (also commonly referred to as black oaks) and white oaks. While white oaks shed acorns yearly, red oaks only produce the nuts every other year. The acorns dropped by red oaks have greater nutritional value for browsing wildlife, being richer in fat and protein content. However, they also have more tannin, a natural astringent that makes the nuts bitter and less palpable to wildlife.

Easy to store and full of minerals (especially calcium and magnesium), the sturdy nuts have also historically been foraged by humans, including a number of Indigenous communities. Once harvested, the calorie-dense nuts were used to make a variety of dishes and sometimes ground into flour to produce breads or dumplings.

However, because raw acorns do contain tannins that make the nuts taste bitter to both humans and wildlife, they must be soaked first. Once properly prepared, acorns can be used for a wide variety of dishes.

🥞 Try incorporating foraged acorns into a familiar breakfast favorite—pancakes!

Blueberries

A favorite for wildlife, especially migrating birds, wild blueberries are a tasty and nutritious food for humans as well.

In the Potomac River region, highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are among the last of the summer berries to finally ripen, which means they’re perfect for picking in the fall. The shrubby blueberry bushes usually begin to flower in the late spring, while the fruit appears later, typically between June and September.

These wild berries were consumed by a number of Indigenous communities in the eastern United States who sometimes even dried them to preserve them for the winter.

🫐 Besides tossing wild blueberries into a batch of muffins, try this recipe for Saututhig, a sweet pudding historically made by Algonquin-speaking communities along the East Coast.

Chicken of the woods

The name “chicken of the woods” might be deceiving, but once cooked, you’ll see that the fungus has both a flavor and texture similar to poultry.

This mushroom, also known as Laetiporus sulphureus, was once believed to be a single species, but there are actually a half dozen distinct types found in the eastern half of North America. And, for forgers, it’s also one of the easiest wild mushrooms to identify.

Chicken of the woods typically grows in a rosette formation and is most often found on oak trees in the late summer or early fall. The versatile fungus makes a tasty addition to anything from sandwiches to pizzas to curries.

🌳 Try this simple recipe for cooking up chicken of the woods with béchamel sauce!

Remember to forage responsibly!

harvested blueberries. photo by melinda young stuart via flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Foraging is an engaging way to spend time outside and gain a richer knowledge of local flora. Not to mention, it’s also a fun way to find local, seasonal ingredients for a tasty dish. But, before setting out to scour the forest for wild edibles, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Always be sure to forage on public land—or, if visiting private land, be sure to get permission first. Looking for a place to forage? Try visiting one of Virginia’s wildlife management areas, or one of the natural areas managed by Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources.
Some plants can be toxic to humans and pets, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with regional edibles.
As a rule of thumb, do as little damage to the plants and their habitat as possible. For example, if you move rocks, branches, or soil while foraging, be sure to leave things how you found them. When foraging for wild mushrooms, be sure to remove just the aboveground portion of the fungus, and leave the roots and base alone. When you head out, be mindful of the season and natural plant cycles to minimize damage to native flora. And, when digging in soil, try to use smaller, less obtrusive tools, like a fork instead of a shovel.
Know what meal or snack you are going to prepare before you forage to ensure you don’t overharvest. Some wild edibles are essential for local wildlife, especially during the fall. And, in consideration of other foragers, don’t take more than you need.