Ever wanted to return to your forager roots, Ashevillians? Thanks to this interactive map of local fruit trees, you can. Falling Fruit records the location + tree type of millions of edible plants around the world — and thousands are growing in Asheville. Here, we’ve broken down some edible plants in Asheville + where to find them:
Southern Crabapple
The native Southern Crabapple blossoms in the springtime to make way for small, yellow-green + sour fruit. Fruit also grows on these trees in the fall, and can be enjoyed in moderation — crabapples contain a cyanide precursor, harmful if overconsumed. We see crabapple fruit most often in jams, jellies + preserves. Most of Asheville’s crabapples are lining S. French Broad Ave.
Black Walnut
Falling off trees in the Eastern U.S. in Sept. + Oct., you might recognize Black walnuts as the greenish-brown orbs that often litter the ground (called “husks” — the walnut meat is inside). These trees can live to be 250 years old. We found them near Kenilworth Park + loved this guide to harvesting walnuts. Bonus: you can also sip these walnuts in the form of liqueur. Local distiller Eda Rhyne makes a Rustic Nocino, which is made from foraged black walnuts.
Eastern White Pine
The most common edible tree to Asheville is the Eastern White Pine. Edible because of its pine nuts + needles you can steep for tea, this pine variation is easily recognizable from needles that grow in bundles of five. They’re also a popular Christmas tree. We found these scattered around town, with a cluster along Kenilworth Rd. in southeast Asheville.
Sugar Maple
You probably have Sugar Maples to thank for all those fall leaf colors you love — but this tree also offers sustenance in the form of its extra-sweet sap that’s perfect for making syrup. This tree grows best in the mountains, and there are a ton smack dab in the middle of Asheville.