Indian summer/fall is the perfect time to forage for fruits on the Front Range. Not only will a walk along a mountain trail yield wild fruits but so will a walk through most neighborhoods. You are likely to encounter apples, plums, crab apples, rose hips, service berries and chokecherries--even Henry David Thoreau wrote about the history of wild fruits. This is the time of year that plants begin to transfer their sugars to the fruits. Then the fruits ripen and drop to the ground or get eaten and the plant has successfully spread its seed. If you know your wild plants, you can find much more. I am still learning, so I have to stick with the most obvious and easily identifiable plants, this way I don't poison myself. Also, I cannot seem to find one good comprehensive wild edible and medicinal plant guide for the front range (and believe me, I have looked!). If you have suggestions please send them my way. There are a couple of iphone apps for identifying wild edibles too. The next post will be about processing these wild fruits, which are often too tart and/or starchy to eat raw.
Also, check out this link to an article about my hunting adventures...more to come on that later!
