In an effort to expand the knowledge of wild plants for edible and medicinal uses, I will be recording when I find useful plant parts in season here in NE Ohio. I will be updating harvest times with better accuracy as I’m able to gather my data. My primary goal here is to record seasonal availability, something I don’t see much of, as it is often regionally dependent.
I invite your comments, criticisms, and suggestions to my “harvest calendar”, we are all students and teachers.
Disclaimer: this post is not an aid for plant identification, nor is this a reference for the recommendation of what plants to eat or use. This calendar simply shows the time of year when certain plant parts are in season. Use at your own discretion.
Specific region of coverage: Northeast Ohio
Greater region of coverage: Eastern Woodlands / United States / North America
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Part to Harvest* | Season** |
|---|---|---|---|
| * Part to Harvest – I will refer to plant parts simply as: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, buds, fruit, berries, seeds, and nuts.
** Season – as a guidance, goes as such: Spring (Mar-April-May), Summer (June-July-Aug), Fall (Sept-Oct-Nov), Winter (Dec-Jan-Feb) † Locally Affirmed – considered to be more accurate than non-affirmed estimations. |
|||
| Apples | Malus pumila | Fruit | Fall |
| Black Walnut | Juglans nigra | Nut | Fall |
| Blackberry | Rubus (many species) | Berries | Summer |
| Cattail | Typha | Stems, Leaves, Fruit, Seeds | Year Round |
| Chickweed | Stellaria media | Leaves, Flowers | Spring-Fall |
| Chicory | Cichorium intybus | Root | Fall-Spring |
| Chinese Lantern | Physalis alkekengi | Berries | |
| Clover, Red | Trifolium pratense | Flowers, Leaves | Spring-Fall |
| Clover, White | Trifolium repens | Flowers, Leaves | Spring-Fall |
| Coltsfoot | Tussilago farfara | Leaves, Flowers, Root | |
| Coneflower | Echinacea | Leaves, Flowers, Buds | Spring-Summer |
| Crabapple | Malus (many species) | Fruit | Fall |
| Curly Dock | Rumex crispus | Stalks (peeled), Leaves (leached) | Spring-Fall |
| Dandylion | Taraxacum officinale | Flower, Leaves, Roots | Spring-Summer |
| Dewberry, Common | Rubus flagellaris | Berries | Summer |
| Dewberry, Upland | Rubus invisus | Berries | Summer |
| Fiddlehead Fern | Matteuccia struthiopteris | Stem, Leaves | Spring |
| Grapes, Wild | Vitaceae | Fruit | Summer (late)-Fall (mid) |
| Grapes, Wild | Vitaceae | Leaves | Spring-Fall |
| Hickory | Carya | Nut | Fall |
| Lamb’s Ear | Stachys byzantina | Leaves | |
| Mallow, Common | Malva neglecta | Entire Plant | |
| Mallow, High | Malva sylvestris | Entire Plant | |
| Maple | Acer | Sap | Spring |
| Maple | Acer | Seeds | Spring |
| Mayapple | Podophyllum | Fruit | Summer (late) |
| Milkweed, Common | Asclepias syriaca | Fruit | Summer |
| Oak | Quercus | Nut (leached) | Fall |
| Onion Grass | Allium vineale | Entire Plant | Spring-Fall |
| Pine, White | Pinus strobus | Leaves | Year Round |
| Plantain, Broadleaf | Plantago major | Leaves | Spring-Fall |
| Purslane | Portulaca oleracea | Leaves | Spring-Fall |
| Ramps | Allium tricoccum | Entire Plant | Spring (early-mid) |
| Raspberry, Black | Rubus occidentalis | Fruit | Spring (late)-Summer |
| Raspberry, Red | Rubus strigosus | Fruit | Spring (late)-Summer |
| Rose | Rosa (many species) | Leaves | Spring (mid)-Fall |
| Rose | Rosa (many species) | Fruit | Summer (late)-Fall |
| Sassafras | Sassafras tzumu Sassafras randaiense |
Roots | Year Round |
| Spicebush | Lindera benzoin | Leaves | Spring-Fall |
| Spruce | Picea (many species) | Buds | Spring (mid-late)† |
| Staghorn Sumac | Rhus typhina | Berries | Summer (mid)-Fall (early)† |
| Strawberry, Common | Fragaria virginiana | Berries | Summer |
| Strawberry, wild | Fragaria vesca | Berries | Summer |
| Wood Sorrel | Oxalis | Flowers, Leaves | Spring-Fall |
Recommended Edible & Medicinal Plant Books
Trees of Ohio Field Guide ***Favorite***
by Stan Tekiela
Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)
by Christopher Hobbs
Incredible Wild Edibles: 36 plants that can change your life
by Samuel Thayer
Wild Berries & Fruits Field Guide of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio ***Favorite***
by Teresa Marrone
The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
by Samuel Thayer
Edible Wild Plants Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides) ***Favorite***
by Lee Allen Peterson
Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
by Samuel Thayer
Good information. Thank you.
Glad you found this info useful! May it serve you well in the future.
I would like to see one for SW Ohio.
Unfortunately, I don’t spend enough in that area to collect the data for a project like this. An internet database would be cool but that’s beyond my skill set. But the reality is the times I’ve noted for these plants shouldn’t be more than 2 weeks earlier start times due to the relative proximity of southern Ohio to northern Ohio.
I am an outdoorsman born and raised learning Ohio’s edible plants and fruits. I love the books that you recommended as I haven’t heard of them before and it would be nice having this regions specific books. Also, have you ever had Pawpaw? It is my favorite Ohio native fruit. Thanks for the great post.
Honestly the Ohio books are pretty easy to navigate, there aren’t too many plants in the state in each category. I’m in the Northeast and haven’t seen a single wild paw-paw bearing fruit.