Now
27°C · Partly cloudy
Today
28° / 13°
Rain, 7 days
11 mm
Season
Fall · frost in ~61 d
Foraging around Buffalo
AI field guide · refreshed weeklyFall Foraging in Buffalo: September
In season now
Black Walnut
Where: Scattered throughout Buffalo neighborhoods, parks, and woodlots; common street tree.
Green husks split and darken in late September; crack open to extract the hard-shelled nut inside. Wear gloves—the husk stains brown and contains juglone, which can irritate skin.
Look-alikes: Butternut (Juglans cinerea) has an elongated, sticky nut in a pointed husk; black walnuts are rounder with thicker husks. Butternut is rarer and equally edible.
Caution: Juglone in husks and roots kills many garden plants; wear gloves and keep away from clothing.
Autumn Olive
Where: Disturbed areas, roadsides, and field edges throughout Western New York.
Silvery-red berries ripen now; tart and tangy, excellent raw or cooked down into jam. High in lycopene.
Look-alikes: Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) has similar berries but narrower, more silvery leaves; both are edible but autumn olive is more common here.
Caution: None significant; invasive species, so harvesting helps control it.
Wild Grapes (Vitis species)
Where: Climb trees and fences in woodlots, stream corridors, and hedgerows.
Dark purple or black clusters ripen now; eat fresh or make juice. Tendrils and young leaves are also edible.
Look-alikes: Pokeweed berries are similar but grow in drooping clusters and are toxic; grape clusters grow upright and grapes roll off easily when ripe.
Caution: Ensure you have permission to harvest from private land.
Persimmon (American)
Where: Scattered in southern Buffalo suburbs and Niagara region; more common south of here but present locally.
Soft, orange fruits drop in late September and early October; eat only when fully soft or they pucker your mouth. Sweet and custard-like when ripe.
Look-alikes: No dangerous look-alikes; medlar is rare here and has a different shape.
Caution: Unripe fruit is astringent; wait for fruit to fall and soften.
Pawpaw
Where: Rare in Buffalo proper but present in southern Erie County and Chautauqua County woodlots; understory shrub.
Greenish-yellow fruits ripen late September to early October; custard-like flesh with large seeds. Tropical flavor, highly perishable.
Look-alikes: No dangerous look-alikes; distinctive oblong fruit and tropical smell when ripe.
Caution: Very localized; check with local foraging groups or naturalists for known patches.
Hickory Nuts
Where: Scattered in Buffalo parks and woodlots; shagbark and pignut hickory are most common.
Nuts drop now; crack open to extract sweet kernel. Shagbark has larger, thinner-shelled nuts; pignut is smaller and harder to crack.
Look-alikes: Black walnut is darker and rounder; butternut is elongated. All are edible but hickory is sweeter.
Caution: Labor-intensive to crack; worth it for shagbark, less so for pignut.
Coming soon
Mushrooms (Chanterelle, Hen-of-the-Woods, Oyster)
Peak season begins in October with fall rains; chanterelles fruit through September if wet, but October is more reliable. Hen-of-the-woods (Maitake) and oyster mushrooms fruit on dead hardwoods through November.
Caution: Never eat any mushroom without 100% certain ID from a field guide or expert; many toxic species resemble edibles.
Crabapples
Ripen in October; small, tart apples excellent for jelly, cider, or pectin extraction. Common ornamental and wild trees throughout Buffalo.
Caution: Seeds contain amygdalin (cyanide precursor); remove seeds before cooking or eat only the flesh.
Acorns (White Oak species)
Drop in October; white oak acorns are lower in tannins and can be leached and ground into flour. Red oak acorns are higher in tannins and require longer leaching.
Caution: Leaching is essential; raw acorns are inedible due to tannins. Time-intensive but rewarding.
Safety in this area
- Deer ticks are active through fall; wear long sleeves and pants, tuck pants into socks, and check yourself thoroughly after foraging. Tick-borne illnesses (Lyme disease, babesiosis) are endemic to Western New York.
- Poison ivy (three-leaflet clusters, red or orange fall color now) and poison oak are common in Buffalo woodlots and disturbed areas; learn to ID and avoid. Urushiol oil remains active in fall.
- Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is present in some Buffalo parks and stream corridors; white umbrella-shaped flower clusters and thick, spotted stems; sap causes severe phytophotodermatitis (blistering). Do not touch or harvest anything near it.
- Always obtain permission before foraging on private land; public parks and nature preserves have specific rules—check with Buffalo Parks & Recreation or local land trusts. State forests and DEC lands allow foraging for personal use; commercial harvest is prohibited.
Foraging information is educational. Confirm every identification with a regional field guide or expert before eating anything wild.
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