Most people think summer is peak season for a bountiful harvest, but for the forager, fall offers a line-up of delicious fruit, from small tart silverberries to big, custard-y pawpaws.  And it's all free for the taking.

1. Flowering Quince Fruit

(aka Chanomeles japonica)

This bright yellow fruit is often overlooked.  Some think it's inedible, because they don't realize that the application of heat transforms this rock hard, sour fruit into something velvety smooth, sweet, and fragrant. More »

2. Paw Paw

(aka Asimina triloba)

Hard to believe this tropical tasting delicacy is native to North America but it is!  Once you taste its silky, custard-y pulp, you'll crave it all year long.  So harvest a bunch in fall and freeze the pulp to use throughout the year.More »

3. Delicious Dogwoods

(aka Cornus kousa)

Yes, really.  Kousa fruit is sweet and a pretty orange color. As a quick nibble, squeeze the pulp out of the rough skin directly into your mouth,  then spit out the seed! Or, run the fruit through a food mill and use for fruit leather, fruit sauce, or in quick breads.More »

4. Silverberries (aka Sweet Autumn Olives aka Eleagnus umbellata)

(aka sweet autumn olive, aka Eleagnus umbellata)

These pretty, super-tart berries are high in lycopene, so they're not only tasty, but healthy, too. I use them to make cakes, pies, and even wine.More »

5. Crab Apples (aka Malus species)

 (aka Malus species)

Crabapples come in many colors and sizes, but the larger ones make the best eating. (A crabapple is any apple with a diameter of less than 2".)  Even the small fruit, which may have a mealy texture, makes great jelly with lots of natural pectin.More »

6. Native Persimmons (aka Diospyros virginiana)

(aka Diospyros virginiana)

If you have to pull a persimmon off the tree it's not ready to eat!  Don't do it...the taste of an unripe persimmon is unpleasantly astringent.  But when they fall from the branch at the slighted touch, when they're soft, squishy, and almost brown, ah...then they're sweet, spicy, and delicious.More »

7. Prickly Pear

(aka Opuntia species)

Most people think of prickly pear as a desert plant, but Opuntias are highly adaptable and grow in at least 49 out of 50 states (I'm not sure about Alaska).  The fruit (aka tunas) require peeling to remove the spines and glochids. It's worth the work. The magenta flesh tastes like a combination of watermelon and apple and makes beautiful jams, jellies, and agua fresca.More »

8. Chokeberries (aka Aronia)

(aka Aronia species)

Often grown as an ornamental for its pretty fruit and brilliant fall foliage, chokeberries are super tart and full of antioxidants. Use the fruit in juice, jams, and jellies.More »

9. Cranberries (aka Vaccinium species)

(aka Vaccinium species)

In nature, cranberries grow near but not IN water, so you won't have to don waders to forage for this fruit.  Ripe fruit stays on the low-growing shrubs for months, so cranberry season is nice and long.More »

10. Pineapple Guava (aka Acca sellowiana aka Feijoa sellowiana)

(aka Acca sellowiana, aka Feijoa sellowiana)

These fragrant, green fruits will fall off the bush when they're ready to eat. Don't harvest prematurely or the flavor will be disappointing. Ripe pineapple guava makes excellent jelly, ice cream, cake, and smoothies.

Learn more about what you can forage for and how you can make the most of your foraged harvest!  Sign up for our free Foraging Newsletter today.More »

now what?

Once you've filled your kitchen with all this free fruit, what can you do with it?Work with the most perishable fruit first (like paw paws and kousa dogwood fruit), and freeze the sturdier fruits (like crabapples, flowering quince, and silverberries) to play with over the long winter months.You'll have plenty to keep you busy!