# Survival > Foraging & Wild Edibles >  Wild Edibles in PA?

## SurvivalKid

Hey yall this is my first post im 15, and very interested in nature. Can anyone tell me where I can find info on wild edibles in PA?


Thanks!

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

Good to have the young interested in this sort of stuff.... Welcome. 

You might want to try searching your states universities/colleges they will sometimes have this info. Also there are several Field guides on edible plants.

Not trying to sound offensive or anything , but do you think you could make a wild path through the Edible plants on your way to the introduction section? Thanks.
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-Introductions

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## your_comforting_company

The Cooperative Extension service can help you find books specific to your region, but I must put the obligatory disclaimer here.

It makes no difference if a plant is edible or not, if you cannot properly and confidently identify it.

Start with wildflowers and weeds books, and once you've learned to categorize and identify plants and their families, THEN you can begin to learn their edible qualities. At this point, edibility is less a factor than identity.

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## Rick

Hey Kid, you might stop by our book thread. There are a lot good books listed that will help you find and identify wild edibles in your area. 

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...al-Book-Thread!

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## BH51

Hello S'Kid,.....I love the study of wild edibles and have practiced many years...
I think one of my 1st sources was "Petersons Field Guide" Edible Wild Plants,
Eastern/Central North America and "Rodales Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs"
and of course numerous sources within the internet...I sometimes wander the
woods in the spring with camera & paper bag, documenting & collecting. Most
gratifying...You might find another paper'back,"The Green Pharmacy" by 
James A. Duke, Ph.D. interesting as well....................Good Hunting......BH51..

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## Old GI

The very best wild berries I have had were from western PA.  Grandma's jellies were wonderfull (along with everything she cooked/made).

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## OhioGrizzLapp

I have a cabin and some land in NW PA. The way I learned was one of Bradford Grangers books of wild edibles. It has really good color pics of the edibles as well as where you would normally find them. There are so many books it is not even funny, but I do suggest to use books with color pics in different seasons for each edible.

The way he has you do it is, mark off a 100 sq foot area, then in that 100 sq foot area he shows 10 edibles for you to find along with pics of the edible as well as the near surrounding area of those plants so you really know what to look for. He also has receipies and prep for them and the do's & don't. 

Every time I go to PA now, I spend a lil time gathering stuff like water cress, wild onions, wild carrots, sassafrass, berries and GREEN pine cones to gather pine nuts (just place in your fire and the petals will open up and split, allowing you to harvest the pine nuts.) This is how pine tree's re-plant themselves after a forrest fire, the cones open up and split from the heat, dropping the seeds that ferment from the fire.  

It is a lot of fun to learn this way as with a few times doing it, you begin to notice the edibles on hikes and jaunts. 

I copied the color pics in the book and made a card set (copied to card stock and clear S&H tape on either side) held together with a split ring and keep it in my pocket. It has really come in handy for on the spot ID of many edibles.

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## Trabitha

Hey!  I live in NEPA and use this book.  We've got them all.  :Wink:  http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Wild-Pl.../dp/1423601505

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## Rick

NEPA Valley? (snort, chuckle)

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## OhioGrizzLapp

Tra, I have the cabin near Crossingville (South of Erie and North of Meadville) 7 miles South of Edinboro, 24 acres of land and a small lake with in and out fishable streams. Over the many years I have had it, I have seeded much of it with "WILD" edibles from wild seeds for all kinds of stuff. The field to the right of the cabin has wild tiny strawberries in it and we get some strawberry honey from a farmer who is a bee keeper and placed a box hive there. In the mornings there are always a ton of various animals (deer, grouse, pheasents, rabbits, turkey, raccoon) eating the strawberries and the persimons on the edge of the field. I have a letter from the PDNR Wildlife officers that states I have permission to hunt out of seasons, animals that are eating my "CROPS." I traded them fly fishing lessons for he and his fellow officers for it LOL gotta love trading with the Gov't. 

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## Trabitha

> nepa valley? (snort, chuckle)


i wish!  Lol!

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## Trabitha

> Tra, I have the cabin near Crossingville (South of Erie and North of Meadville) 7 miles South of Edinboro, 24 acres of land and a small lake with in and out fishable streams. Over the many years I have had it, I have seeded much of it with "WILD" edibles from wild seeds for all kinds of stuff. The field to the right of the cabin has wild tiny strawberries in it and we get some strawberry honey from a farmer who is a bee keeper and placed a box hive there. In the mornings there are always a ton of various animals (deer, grouse, pheasents, rabbits, turkey, raccoon) eating the strawberries and the persimons on the edge of the field. I have a letter from the PDNR Wildlife officers that states I have permission to hunt out of seasons, animals that are eating my "CROPS." I traded them fly fishing lessons for he and his fellow officers for it LOL gotta love trading with the Gov't. 
> 
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Absolutely beautiful!  You should be so proud.   :Smile:   We had to move a few years ago and in our rush and the market leaving very little options we bought an old house in the middle of town.  My dream is to one day live in the country again.  I grew up 10 miles out of town on a huge piece of land.  I miss it terribly.  Don't think I've slept well since I've lived in town.  Sad.

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## OhioGrizzLapp

I was born in Billings Montana and I live in Cleveland Ohio and sadly, it takes me a few days at the cabin to get real sleep as I am used to gun shots, sirens, fights, loud cars and the BASS speakers in "Hood" cars playing so loudly, the windows vibrate, gotta love big city life. Just a nite or two to get use to the wilderness settings and I am good. 

I even find wild edibles here in the city, mostly nuts and gardens gone wild in lots and parks. Most of my florist gatherings are from the empty city lots. I gather a lot from a place called "Whiskey Island," here in Cleveland.... a gold mine for wild in city foraging.

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## Trabitha

Yep!  You can really find them all over.  I've stopped growing spinach in my garden because the animals eat it all the time.  We eat the wild purslane that grows in my back herb garden and really young garlic mustard (looks like a violet plant when it's young), that grows like CRAZY out here.  Turns out both are eaten regularly over in Europe and have much more nutrients than spinach.  The animals don't eat them because they are so plentiful, so I have more room in my fenced garden for other things.  :Wink:

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## Old GI

Critters even ate my wife's Jerusalem Artichokes last year.

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## SurvivalKid

Thanks for all the info guys/gals! I know how to identify some berries from other, but not plants.

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