What to Forage in July – The Best Wild Food Plants to Harvest

Discover over seventy wild food plants you can forage and harvest in July.

Availability should only be seen as a rough guide. Variations in climate and location will make a difference to what’s available.

Annual seablite – Suaeda maritima
Leaf: Raw, cooked.
Stalk: Young, raw, cooked.

AshFraxinus excelsior
Leaf: Tea, leaf curd.

BilberryVaccinium myrtillus
Fruit: Raw, cooked.

Bog myrtle – Myrica gale
Leaf: Fresh or dried. Flavouring. Tea.
Fruit: Fresh or dried. Flavouring.

Bramble or blackberryRubus spp.
Leaf: Tea
Fruit: Raw, cooked.

BrooklimeVeronica beccabunga
Leaf: Cooked.

Bulrush or cattail – Typha latifolia
Stem: Raw, cooked.
Flower: Spike is steamed or cooked.
Seed: Raw, roasted.
Root: Raw, flour.

ChickweedStellaria media
Leaf: Raw.
Stem: Raw.
Seed: Cooked.

CleaversGalium aparine
Leaf: Cooked, tea, leaf curd.
Seed: Roasted, sprouted.

Common bistort – Bistorta officinalis
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

Common orache – Atriplex patula
Leaf: Cooked.

Common poppy – Papaver rhoeas
Flower: Raw.

Common reed – Phragmites australis
Leaf: Unfolded, dry, grind.
Root: Cooked, flour.

Common scurvygrass – Cochlearia officinalis
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

Common sorrelRumex acetosa
Leaf: Raw, cooked, juice used as rennet.
Flower: Cooked.
Seed: Dried, flour.
Root: Cooked. Dried, flour.

Couchgrass – Elymus repens
Leaf: Leaf curd.
Root: Cooked. Dried for flour. Roasted as a coffee substitute.

Curley dockRumex crispus
Leaf: Raw, cooked.
Seed: Raw, roasted, flour.

DaisyBellis perennis
Flower: Raw.

DandelionTaraxacum spp.
Leaf: Raw, cooked.
Flower: Raw, cooked.
Seed: Raw, roasted.
Root: First year roots raw, cooked, roasted.

Darwin’s barberry – Berberis darwinii
Fruit: Raw, cooked.

Douglas fir – Pseudotsuga menziesii
Shoots: Raw, cooked.

Downy birch – Betula pubescens
Leaf: Tea, leaf curd.

Dwarf mallowMalva neglecta
Leaf: Cooked.
Flower: Raw.

ElderSambucus nigra
Flower: Raw, cooked.

Fat hen or lambsquartersChenopodium album
Leaf: Cooked.

Ground elderAegopodium podagraria
Leaf: Cooked.

Hairy bittercressCardamine hirsuta
Leaf: Raw, cooked.
Flower: Raw.

HawthornCrataegus monogyna
Leaf: Tea, leaf curd.

Hedge mustardSisymbrium officinale
Leaf: Cooked.

HogweedHeracleum sphondylium
Seed: Dried, spice.

Hop – Humulus lupulus
Shoots: Cooked.
Rhizomes: Cooked

HorseradishArmoracia rusticana
Leaf: Young, raw, cooked.

Japanese roseRosa rugosa
Flower: Raw, dried, tea, cooked.

Lesser burdockArctium minus
Stem: Inner pith eaten raw or cooked.
Root: Raw, cooked.

Lime or lindenTilia spp.
Flowers: Raw, dried. Tea.

MallowMalva sylvestris
Leaf: Cooked.
Flower: Raw.

Marsh samphire or glasswortSalicornia europaea
Stem: Raw, cooked.

MeadowsweetFilipendula ulmaria
Leaf: Young, cooked. Tea.
Flower: Cooked.
Root: Young, cooked.

MugwortArtemisia vulgaris
Leaf: Cooked. Tea.

NavelwortUmbilicus rupestris
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

NipplewortLapsana communis
Leaf: Cooked.

Oregon grape – Mahonia aquifolium
Fruit: Raw, cooked.

Oxeye DaisyLeucanthemum vulgare
Leaf: Raw, cooked.
Flower: Raw, candied.

Pignut – Conopodium majus
Root: Raw.

Pineappleweed – Matricaria discoidea
Flowers/buds: Raw.

Purple dew plant – Disphyma crassifolium
Leaf: Raw.

Raspberry – Rubus idaeus
Leaf: Tea.

Red clover – Trifolium pratense
Leaf: Young, raw, cooked.
Flower: Young, raw.
Seed: Raw, sprouted, cooked.

Red deadnettle – Lamium purpureum
Leaf: Raw, cooked.
Stem: Raw, cooked.

Ribwort plantainPlantago lanceolata
Leaf: Cooked.
Buds: Raw, cooked.
Root: Cooked.

Rock samphireCrithmum maritimum
Leaf: Tips raw, cooked.
Stalk: Raw, cooked.

Rosebay willowherbEpilobium angustifolium
Leaf: Young, raw, cooked. Fermented, tea.
Stalk: Young, peeled, raw, cooked.
Flower: Raw.
Root: Raw. Dried, beverage, flour.

Sea sandwortHonckenya peploides
Leaf: Cooked.

Sea arrowgrass – Triglochin maritima
Leaf: Raw, cooked.
Stalk: Raw, cooked.
Stem: Raw, cooked.

Sea beetBeta vulgaris subsp. maritima
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

Sea kaleCrambe maritima
Leaf: Young, raw. Older, cooked.
Seedpod: Young, raw. Mature, cooked.

Sea purslaneAtriplex portulacoides
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

Sea rocket – Cakile maritima
Leaf: Young, raw. Mature, cooked.
Buds: Raw, cooked.
Flower: Raw, cooked.
Stem: Raw, cooked.
Seedpod: Young, raw, cooked.
Root: Dried, flour.

Shepherd’s purse – Capsella bursa-pastoris
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

Silverweed – Potentilla anserina
Leaf: Raw, tea.
Shoots: Young, raw.
Root: Cooked.

Spear leaved orache – Atriplex prostrata
Leaf: Cooked.

Spruce – Picea spp.
Leaf: Tea.

Stinging nettleUrtica dioica
Seed: Dried, raw.

Stonecrop – Sedum spp.
Leaf: Raw.

Sweet cicely – Myrrhis odorata
Leaf: Raw, cooked.
Seedpod: Raw.

Sweet vernal grass – Anthoxanthum odoratum
Leaf: Fresh, dry. Flavouring.
Warning: Make sure it is free of ergot fungus.

Tree mallowLavatera arborea
Leaf: Cooked.
Flower: Raw.

Walnut – Juglans regia
Seed: Raw, pickled.

WatercressNasturtium officinale
Leaf: Cooked.
Stem: Cooked.

Water mint – Mentha aquatica
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

Wild carrot – Daucus carota
Flowers: Raw, cooked.
Seed: Seasoning.

Wild fennelFoeniculum vulgare
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

Wild garlic or ramsonsAllium ursinum
Leaf: Cooked
Flower: Raw.
Seed: Raw.
Root: Raw.

Wild marjoram – Origanum vulgare
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

Wild onion – Allium vineale
Leaf: Raw, cooked.
Bulbils/flowers: Raw, cooked.

Wood sorrel – Oxalis acetosella
Leaf: Raw.
Flower: Raw.

Wild strawberryFragaria vesca
Leaf: Tea.
Fruit: Raw.

Wild thyme – Thymus polytrichus
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

Yarrow – Achillea millefolium
Leaf: Raw, cooked.

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  1. Wow! That’s a LOT – and how nice my mum taught me to identify a lot of them as a child! I shall be scouring my 10 acres to see what grows there already, and be checking them out next year when I live there! Moving house it taking all my time at present! Thank you fir all the hard work! ?

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  2. Fantastic as always. Some I am aware of from my mum telling me others are new to me. Can’t wait to look and gather some. Thank you as always ?

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  3. Thanks Robin what a great list, when the rain stops I’ll be out looking again in the surrounding fields and hills.

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  4. Thank you for such a comprehensive list for July. I have written out the list and done a drawing next to each of the herbs I am ensure of to help me to identify while foraging.

    Reply
  5. Thank you, a wonderful list of plants I’m already planning a more in depth forage with this as a guide. The Elder trees are still flowering in my village, current plans have been to make an Elderflower cordial this weekend- will hopefully be able to expand that now

    Reply
  6. Thank you for this extensive list Robin. It is very appreciated by many, i feel sure. Fascinated by the plants i haver heard of and keen to get out and scour the landscape for them

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  7. Excellent list thank you Robin: Lots of variety and valuable pointers. Yes, you do need to study several key identification features to be sure of not making a horrific mistake. And also beware of accidentally gathering poisonous neighbours (plants, that is – can’t help with human variety).

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