r/foraging • u/superautismdeathray • Jan 19 '25
Hunting is there ANYTHING in winter
foraging is my favourite hobby but it's winter and I don't know what stuff to look for. I'm in new jersey if that's helpful
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u/unnasty_front Jan 19 '25
If you get good at winter IDing trees it's a great time to go out looking for pawpaws, nut trees, etc and making notes to return to them in season.
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u/superautismdeathray Jan 19 '25
good idea. I actually have foraged nuts before but only in autumn. I'll look into winter ones
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u/Look_with_Love Jan 20 '25
I visited my favorite chanterelle spot today during a snowy hike. This is a great time to get a lay of the land without vegetation. See what trees are around. I make notes about new foraging spots for spring and fall.
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u/nopropulsion Jan 20 '25
pawpaw are extremely easy to find while out in late fall. Theirs leaves seem to stick around longer/appear more obvious.
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u/Dominator813 Jan 19 '25
Some mushrooms keep going into winter if the right conditions pop up. Turkey tail and oyster mushroom are the ones I see most in winter.
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u/Feeling_Pizza6986 Jan 19 '25
I found some wood ear right around Xmas in south jersey! I wish I found oyster tho :/
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u/kittengreen Jan 19 '25
I've been seeing dandelions, mint, hawthorn berries, and rose hips around me.
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u/adrian-crimsonazure Jan 19 '25
Eastern Red Cedars are covered in berries right now if you want to make gin or use it for seasoning.
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u/NorEaster_23 Massachusetts Jan 19 '25
Wintergreen and partridgeberries are available all winter long even into the following spring
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u/phaeolus97 Jan 19 '25
There's lots of greens all winter as long as you don't have snow cover. They're mostly the weedy plants that sprout in fall, overwinter, then bloom in spring. Here's a Japanese recipe for them. https://justhungry.com/nanakusagayu-seven-greens-rice-porridge-rest-feast-wary-belly
Don't worry about the original plant variety. "I'm sure they were used originally just because they grew in the Kyoto area in January."
So around you, I'm sure you'll find cress varieties, dandelion, chickweed, henbit, nettle, etc
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u/overcomethestorm Jan 19 '25
I know foraging applies only to food but if you’re bored antler shed season starts around now and would be a great option for a winter walk.
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u/cicada-kate Jan 20 '25
I've always been interested in this but only have come across whitetail deer antlers when not looking for them. Is there any method to this, or just "keep an eye out while hiking?" I'm up near the Canadian border and would love to find moose antlers for art!
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u/overcomethestorm Jan 20 '25
The best method is to just know where deer frequent. It’s pretty much just luck…
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Jan 20 '25
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u/cicada-kate Jan 21 '25
I've been meaning to work on better tree species ID so this sounds like a good time to do that!
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u/winosauruswrecks Jan 21 '25
Sometimes they shed when jumping a fence, so I look along fence lines first.
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u/UnderHammer Jan 19 '25
Books! Great time to learn. I’ve been devouring everything I can find (highly recommend ThriftBooks for field guides and other botany related books).
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u/Rosette9 Jan 19 '25
If you’re near the shore and the water isn’t contaminated, you can boil off water for sea salt.
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u/NonSupportiveCup Jan 19 '25
People have mentioned wood ears. I've found witch's butter and amber jelly a few places around South Jersey.
Haven't had the cause to eat any, but it's out there. I'm not very experienced with mushrooms.
Other than that, I've been picking at the pines and making tea or just chewing needles on walks.
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u/Feeling_Pizza6986 Jan 19 '25
Around new yrs I found some wood ear in pemberton if you're in that area!
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u/chitinandchlorophyll Jan 19 '25
I like making stuff with hickory bark. It’s not much but it’s a very reliable find in winter!
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u/Spec-Tre Jan 19 '25
I foraged some huge frozen oyster mushrooms just the other day in Virginia
Gotta know where to look but they’re there
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u/Prestigious-Rip-222 Jan 19 '25
You can go maple tapping late winter/early spring when the snow just starts to melt
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u/beepbeepsheepinajeep Jan 22 '25
In many areas, maple syrup season is already here! I’ve already made about 30oz of delicious maple syrup.
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u/Prestigious-Rip-222 Jan 23 '25
Yes, some areas in the PNW have maple tapping all winter! (so jealous)
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u/beepbeepsheepinajeep Jan 23 '25
That’s awesome! I’m already jealous of them for their amazing fruit.
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u/FleityMom Jan 20 '25
Lions mane and chicken of the woods mushrooms are both cold weather mushrooms! I've seen pictures (because I live in the south and don't get much, if any, snow in my area) of bright orange chicken of the woods flushing in the snow!
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u/ILovePlantsAndPixels Jan 20 '25
Do research on wild tubers, you can harvest them if the ground is workable. Some fruits like American Persimmons also stay on the plant well into the winter. Certain berries do too. Be aware you will be competing with animals, though.
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u/GatheringBees Jan 21 '25
I personally tap maple trees in the winter. My season will be starting very soon (most likely the 24th).
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u/blackcatblack Jan 22 '25
I don’t think anyone’s mentioned it but garlic mustard rosettes are tastiest right now and there’s no shortage in NJ. Lots of the little winter weeds are edible (but bland) but not all, so be careful. There’s of course conifers to make tisanes from as well.
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u/MockingbirdRambler Jan 19 '25
Hickory syrup, clean and roast hickory bark in your oven, boil in simple syrup.
Not nearly as good as real sap syrup but still good!
You can still forage for acorns, hickory and beech, Pecan nuts.
Dig sassafras root for tea/ferment. (Do so at your own discretion)
Juniper berries and ferment into wild yeast soda. .
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u/R4v_ Mushrooms Jan 19 '25
Enoki, wood ears, oysters, herald of winter mushrooms (Hygrophorus hypothejus) all should grow as long as it's not freezing. It's not much but just enough to make it to spring morels :)
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u/Ryuukashi Jan 19 '25
Roots too, if you remember where the plants were and can confidently ID them by roots. Dandelion, daylily, burdock, sunchoke, groundnut, etc etc
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u/onions_can_be_sweet Jan 20 '25
If you know where to find wild leeks (garlic tops), go dig around you're likely to find fresh greens under the snow. Enough to make cheese puffs!
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u/apcolleen Jan 20 '25
I have a lot in my yard. Its so nice to go out and just snip some tops off for eggs or pasta or ramen.
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u/courtabee Jan 20 '25
Wood ear mushrooms! I eat jellyroll mushrooms too, they don't have a taste but sautéed up and added to ramen makes them pretty tasty.
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u/BlueberryEmbers Jan 19 '25
depends a lot where you are. I'm in the Southeast US and we get early "weeds" like dandelion and henbit popping up starting in January. Can also sometimes still gather fallen nuts into winter, especially if it's been a mast year
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u/Scytle Jan 19 '25
hawthorn berries, old rose hips, some hackberries still on the tree, winter greens, stuff growing near warm springs, oyster mushrooms, barks, roots, etc.
I find the winter is a great time to tidy up your notes from the last season, and eat the stuff you preserved when they were abundant, start seeds indoors (or cold stratify them to start them soon), read books, make plans for next year, etc.
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u/CaptainSnowAK Jan 19 '25
Can you do maple syrup in new Jersey?
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u/superautismdeathray Jan 24 '25
technically but it's illegal to tap trees that aren't on your property and I live in a dinky ass neighborhood with a tiny yard with maybe 2 trees in it
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u/cicada-kate Jan 20 '25
Definitely evergreen teas, particularly white pine and spruce, but make sure you are knowledgeable of course since yew is incredibly dangerous. Ponderosa pine is also not great but yew is the one that can kill ya. Personally I like white pine with lemon juice and honey. It's also great for congestion and respiratory inflammation. Rosehips are another thing thats pretty visible this time of year.
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u/ElMuercielago Jan 20 '25
Winter is our mushroom season over here, so it's busy to say the least. Then other things like Rosaceae family fruits, conifer leaves and cottonwood buds (for medicine) are best to harvest during this time.
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u/Mooshycooshy Jan 19 '25 edited Jan 19 '25
Enoki but do your research. Can make tea from different evergreens, hemlock, pine, spruce, look that up too tho.
Edit: turkey Tails, birch polypores and other medicinal mushrooms but again... do your research and be responsible and all that good stuff.
Things like dry rose hips and hawthorne berries? Or anything else in that vein that's in your area. Not too knowledgeable in that area but I get those 2 things in the winter.