Who says one must garden to harvest free food? Many wild edibles abound, here in Missouri, as well as elsewhere. Now is the time both wild and domestic strawberries ripen, although some domesticated varieties are touted as "ever-blooming", but often they do not live up to the name. It matters not, because when strawberries ripen, which is usually May and June around here, it is best to harvest before wildlife beats you to them.

This morning I harvested more wild strawberries than I have ever gotten on a given morning in my own hand-planted, tended, weeded, mulched, and watered bed of "Ozark Beauty" strawberries. These wild berries are not large, but are definitely sweet and full of dense flavor, thus I am now officially sold on the idea of devoting any and all future "strawberry time" to harvesting the wild ones.

In our case, wild strawberries can be found growing in old fields, and no doubt they can be found in many parks, natural areas, conservation areas, national and state parks and forests, and other areas. I do not know if a permit would be needed to harvest wild strawberries from national, state, county, or municipal lands, but that information is easy to obtain.

Attached are a couple of pictures of some of this morning's harvest, and these berries have been sun-drying for hours now, and with another day or two of solid sun, they will be ready for long-term storage without the use of any fossil fuel.

Enjoy.