Edible Wild Berries
Wild Plums
Wild plums grow in the forests of Florida and produce small, sweet fruits. Blooming in early summer, their bright white flowers are a dead giveaway. The dark purple plums are delicious when eaten fresh or stewed.
Horsewood
This plant produces wild, dark red, grape-like fruit. Late summer is the best time to harvest these juicy fruits.
Wild Cherries
One of the most prolific blossoming fruit trees, wild cherry trees in Florida produce plump, bright red fruit each summer. Eat them fresh or cook them in pies.
Edible Wild Greens
Dandelion
The leaves of dandelions are used in salads, steeped in tea or steamed/cooked as a vegetable. Slightly bitter, it is best to pair them with another food.
Yucca
Although Yucca can be bitter, even in a ripe fruit, it is edible. Its flowers are also eaten as salad or fried as fritters.
Purslane
Considered by gardeners to be a weed, purslane is a succulent ground plant that is quite delicious. Pick it fresh and eat it as a salad or steam it as a side dish. It has a flavor similar to fresh green beans.
Other Miscellaneous Edible Plants
Wild Garlic
Growing throughout the state, wild garlic has a sharp, wild flavor. It is best to boil, roast or cook the bulbs of wild garlic before eating them. Their flowers are also edible and impart a potent flavor and aroma.
Cattail
Cattails grow throughout Florida's vast wetlands. Their roots are edible and high in vitamins. Boil or roast them to use in soups and stews, or ground them into a simple flour.
Cabbage Palm
The cabbage palm is Florida's state tree. It's leaves can be eaten fresh as a salad, or steamed or stewed as a vegetable dish.
