State foraging calendar
Pennsylvania Foraging Calendar
Pennsylvania's foraging traditions run deep, from the German and Eastern European immigrant communities of the south-central counties who brought mushroom knowledge from the old country, to the Appalachian mountain communities of the north-central region who relied on wild foods through the hard decades of the early industrial era. The state's vast unbroken hardwood forests, especially in the North Central Highlands, produce reliable ramp, morel, and autumn mushroom harvests across millions of acres of state forest. The Ridge and Valley country of central Pennsylvania is particularly productive for ramps and morels in the hemlock-hardwood ravines, and the Pennsylvania Dutch country has documented many edible plant uses not commonly found in foraging literature. Note that ramp harvest is regulated on state land in Pennsylvania and prohibited in some state parks.
7 bioregions across Pennsylvania
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Tap a region to see what's in season
Bioregions of Pennsylvania
Foraging seasons shift sharply between Pennsylvania's ecoregions. Pick the one nearest you for a 12-month calendar of what is in season.
New England Highlands
184 speciesNortheastern Pennsylvania's Pocono highlands, with ramps, fiddleheads, chanterelles, and wild blueberries in the cool northern hardwood forest.
View calendar →Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands
180 speciesNorthwestern Pennsylvania's Allegheny Plateau and Lake Erie shore country with elderberries, black walnuts, and morels in the lake-plain hardwood forests, sharing the foraging character of the Great Lakes region.
View calendar →Piedmont
180 speciesThe Pennsylvania Dutch country and Piedmont foothills with a particularly rich documented tradition of edible plant use, including ramps, spring greens, pawpaws, and autumn mushrooms in the mature woodlot remnants of the agricultural landscape.
View calendar →Central Appalachians
179 speciesThe Ridge and Valley country of central Pennsylvania with ramps in hemlock-lined ravines, morels in creek-bottom woodland, pawpaws along the Susquehanna River corridor, and black walnuts in the farm country valleys.
View calendar →Northern and Central Appalachians
172 speciesPennsylvania's North Central Highlands and Allegheny Front with some of the densest ramp populations in the Northeast, excellent morel habitat in river-bottom hardwoods, and a rich autumn season for hen of the woods, chicken of the woods, and black walnuts.
View calendar →Blue Ridge Mountains
170 speciesSouth-central Pennsylvania's South Mountain, the northern tip of the Blue Ridge, with rich hardwood ramps, morels, chanterelles, and chicken of the woods.
View calendar →Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain
168 speciesThe lower Delaware River corridor of southeastern Pennsylvania near Philadelphia, with pawpaws and elderberries in the bottomland forest and river-edge greens.
View calendar →Always confirm any wild edible with multiple sources and an experienced local guide before eating it. Many edible species have toxic look-alikes.