02/18/2026
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While plant foraging can be a rewarding and delicious experience, precautions should be taken to ensure your safety before eating any plant!
Here are basic guidelines to follow:
Before eating any wild plant, you should be 100 percent certain that you have identified it correctly and that it is not poisonous.
Use at least three different plant resource guides to identify plants correctly. When choosing plant guides, look for books with detailed plant descriptions, easy-to-identify photographs and drawings, habitat information, and a list of common food uses.
Learn what parts of an edible plant can be safely used and how these parts should be prepared. Just because a plant is considered edible does not mean all its parts are edible. Additionally, some plants must be cooked before consumption to remove toxic compounds. For instance, pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) leaves and stalks should be collected only in the spring, when they are young and tender. They must first be boiled in at least three changes of water to remove toxic compounds before they can be eaten. The roots and berries are highly toxic and should never be eaten.
Be aware that plant look-alikes exist, and some are poisonous. When in doubt, leave it out! For instance, common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is edible but often grows near the poisonous look-alike, prostrate spurge (Euphorbia maculata).
Before eating a new plant, first do a touch test, such as touching the plant with the underside of your wrist. If the area begins to burn or itch, do not eat the plant. While a wild plant may be considered edible, we all have our own personal sensitivities, and precautions should still be taken. Be sure to eat WEPs in moderation.
Avoid foraging for plants in areas where chemical contamination from herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial runoff may occur, such as roadsides, power line right-of-way areas, and industrial zones. Plants can absorb pollutants from the soil, water, and air. Eating contaminated plants could cause health issues.
Learn more about wild edible plants here: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/forgotten-foods-introduction-wild-edible-plants
