Late Summer Foraging

Late summer on the Long Beach Peninsula carries  abundance if you know where to look. The fields, forests, and shorelines begin to shift with the season, offering foods that have ripened under long days of light. Blackberries swell along the edges of trails, rose hips start to blush red, and the nettles that stung in spring can now be found heavy with seed. In the open meadows, wild herbs finish their flowering and prepare their seeds for another cycle, while the first mushrooms of fall sometimes begin to show if the rains come early.

Foraging is one of the simplest ways to connect directly with the land, but it is also an act of responsibility. The Peninsula has pockets of untouched beauty, but it also has places that have been sprayed or treated. Knowing the difference matters. Never harvest where chemicals may have been used, and always choose areas that are safe and clean. What nourishes you should also nourish the ground it comes from.

Harvesting with care means taking only what you will use and leaving enough for the plants to thrive, for wildlife to feed, and for the cycle to continue. A good rule is to gather lightly, like a respectful guest at someone else’s table. Let the plant keep its strength, and take just enough to honor both your needs and its life.

This time of year is perfect for drying herbs, storing berries, and preparing the small wild foods that will carry a trace of summer into the cooler months ahead. Each basket you bring home is a reminder of the reciprocity between people and place, of how much the land provides when it is cared for, and of how deeply we are tied to these cycles of growth and return.