Forest Berries, Nuts & Mushrooms

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Raising Berries in the Woods

What kind of berries can be raised in the woods?

• Blackberry, Black Cherry, Serviceberry, Currant, Elderberry, Chokeberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Staghorn Sumac, Strawberry, Crabapple, Wild Apple 

Resources

• How, When and Why of Forest Farming - Learning - Fruits and Nuts (cornell.edu) has webinars forest farming berries
• Agroforestry on the Farm: Elderberry | Small Farm Sustainability (iastate.edu)
• Chokecherry jelly and syrup made from wild fruit | UMN Extension

Among the problems people run into are foraging by birds and wildlife, drought reducing yield and changing the taste, and keeping the fruits stored.

Pawpaws

The pawpaw (Asimina triloba) has great potential for commercial development. Culinary innovators in New York have begun selling pawpaw beer, pawpaw liqueur, and a host of seasonal fresh-fruit offerings. 

Resources

• Pawpaws in New York: A Guide on How to Grow and Care for Pawpaws (cornell.edu) and in depth guide on growing pawpaw trees
• Pawpaw – A "Tropical" Fruit for Temperate Climates - Cornell Small Farms a page that offers pawpaw care information
• Cornell Fruit Resources, Cornell University minor fruits page has information on pawpaws
• Pawpaw Fruit in the Garden and the Kitchen (psu.edu) has information on how to use a pawpaw as well as pawpaw recipes

Gathering or growing nuts in the woods

What kind of nuts can be grown in the woods?

• Hickory Nut, Butternut, Beachnut, Walnut, Chestnut, Acorn, Hazelnut, Pine Cone

Active forest owners can collect pinecones, acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, and hazelnuts from the forest floor. Although woodlot owners in the Southern Tier are likely to use them for attracting and feeding wildlife, you can also propagate new forest trees, use them for rustic decoration projects and grind into recipes calling for nuts. People considering edible uses must be sure of the identity of the tree or shrub. As an income-producing project, cones and seeds can be packaged into edible mixes for wildlife, baked into retail goods containing natural products, planted as trees for sale, or marketing to crafters. Supply is important, so you should replant species to continue production, and plan to manage your timber to favor nut- and cone-producing trees. Problems with this forest activity include over harvesting, insect larvae appearing in the nuts, and preserving nuts.

Resources

• Northern Nut Growers Association – Advancing the cultivation of temperate zone tree nuts since 1910 (nutgrowing.org)
• NY Nut Growers Association Home Page (nynga.org)
• the New York Tree Crops Alliance (nytca.org)

Mushroom Cultivation

One of the classic “forest farming” practices, woodlot owners are growing mushrooms for their own consumption. Various species of mushrooms are inoculated on cut logs in forests. They are used as a food, a natural remedy to ailments and as a potent flavoring. It is possible to sell mushrooms directly to consumers, restaurants, and stored in a dried form. Use logs cut according to a forest management plan. Fungi can behave unpredictably, so you would need to adjust to unpredictable fruiting, careful storage, and proper sanitation to prevent contamination with other fungi. 

Specialty Mushroom Resources

• How to Grow Mushrooms – A Beginner’s Guide – The Bookshelf (cornell.edu) - A Growing specialty mushrooms how to guide
• Specialty Mushrooms - Cornell Small Farms offers educational resources on specialty mushrooms from outdoor and indoor production methods, markets, regulations, food safety, supplies, and more!

Last updated December 13, 2023