There are edible plants growing across Colorado that are more useful and valuable than most people realize. Morel mushrooms, for example, sell for a high price and grow naturally in the mountains after the spring thaw.

Golden currants are another forageable worth knowing — they ripen in clusters and have a unique tartness that works well in both fresh and cooked dishes.

Even the prickly tulip prickly pear cactus produces edible pads and sweet red fruit, once you know how to handle it. Purslane, often pulled as a weed, is rich in omega-3s and eaten around the world. These are just a few of the things you can find growing wild throughout the state.

Whether you’re exploring forest edges or high desert flats, valuable plants are hiding in plain sight. Learning just a few key identifiers can help you come home with much more than you started with. And once you begin noticing them, you’ll realize just how much edible variety Colorado has to offer.

What We Cover In This Article:

• What Makes Foreageables Valuable
• Foraging Mistakes That Cost You Big Bucks
• The Most Valuable Forageables in the State
• Where to Find Valuable Forageables in the State
• When to Forage for Maximum Value

What Makes Foreageables Valuable

Some wild plants, mushrooms, and natural ingredients can be surprisingly valuable. Whether you’re selling them or using them at home, their worth often comes down to a few key things:

The Scarcer the Plant, the Higher the Demand

Some valuable forageables only show up for a short time each year, grow in hard-to-reach areas, or are very difficult to cultivate. That kind of rarity makes them harder to find and more expensive to buy.

Morels, truffles, and ramps are all good examples of this. They’re popular, but limited access and short growing seasons mean people are often willing to pay more.

A good seasonal foods guide can help you keep track of when high-value items appear.

High-End Dishes Boost the Value of Ingredients

Wild ingredients that are hard to find in stores often catch the attention of chefs and home cooks. When something unique adds flavor or flair to a dish, it quickly becomes more valuable.

Truffles, wild leeks, and edible flowers are prized for how they taste and look on a plate. As more people try to include them in special meals, the demand—and the price—tends to rise.

You’ll find many of these among easy-to-identify wild mushrooms or herbs featured in fine dining.

Medicinal and Practical Uses Drive Forageable Prices Up

Plants like ginseng, goldenseal, and elderberries are often used in teas, tinctures, and home remedies. Their value comes from how they support wellness and are used repeatedly over time.

These plants are not just ingredients for cooking. Because people turn to them for ongoing use, the demand stays steady and the price stays high.

The More Work It Takes to Harvest, the More It’s Worth

Forageables that are hard to reach or tricky to harvest often end up being more valuable. Some grow in dense forests, need careful digging, or have to be cleaned and prepared before use.

Matsutake mushrooms are a good example, because they grow in specific forest conditions and are hard to spot under layers of leaf litter. Wild ginger and black walnuts, meanwhile, both require extra steps for cleaning and preparation before they can be used or sold.

All of that takes time, effort, and experience. When something takes real work to gather safely, buyers are usually willing to pay more for it.

Foods That Keep Well Are More Valuable to Buyers

Some forageables, like dried morels or elderberries, can be stored for months without losing their value. These longer-lasting items are easier to sell and often bring in more money over time.

Others, like wild greens or edible flowers, have a short shelf life and need to be used quickly. Many easy-to-identify wild greens and herbs are best when fresh, but can be dried or preserved to extend their usefulness.

Foraging Mistakes That Cost You Big Bucks

When you’re foraging for high-value plants, mushrooms, or other wild ingredients, every decision matters. Whether you’re selling at a farmers market or stocking your own pantry, simple mistakes can make your harvest less valuable or even completely worthless.

Harvesting at the Wrong Time

Harvesting at the wrong time can turn a valuable find into something no one wants. Plants and mushrooms have a short window when they’re at their best, and missing it means losing quality.

Morels, for example, shrink and dry out quickly once they mature, which lowers their weight and price. Overripe berries bruise in the basket and spoil fast, making them hard to store or sell.

Improper Handling After Harvest

Rough handling can ruin even the most valuable forageables. Crushed mushrooms, wilted greens, and dirty roots lose both their appeal and their price.

Use baskets or mesh bags to keep things from getting smashed and let air circulate. Keeping everything cool and clean helps your harvest stay fresh and look better for longer.

This is especially important for delicate items like wild roots and tubers that need to stay clean and intact.

Skipping Processing Steps

Skipping basic processing steps can cost you money. A raw harvest may look messy, spoil faster, or be harder to use.

For example, chaga is much more valuable when dried and cut properly. Herbs like wild mint or nettle often sell better when bundled neatly or partially dried. If you skip these steps, you may end up with something that looks unappealing or spoils quickly.

Collecting from the Wrong Area

Harvesting in the wrong place can ruin a good find. Plants and mushrooms pulled from roadsides or polluted ground may be unsafe, no matter how fresh they look.

Buyers want to know their food comes from clean, responsible sources. If a spot is known for overharvesting or damage, it can make the whole batch less appealing.

These suburbia foraging tips can help you find overlooked spots that are surprisingly safe and productive.

Not Knowing the Market

A rare plant isn’t valuable if nobody wants to buy it. If you gather in-demand species like wild ramps or black trumpets, you’re more likely to make a profit. Pay attention to what chefs, herbalists, or vendors are actually looking for.

Foraging with no plan leads to wasted effort and unsold stock. Keeping up with demand helps you bring home a profit instead of a pile of leftovers.

You can also brush up on foraging for survival strategies to identify the most versatile and useful wild foods.

The Most Valuable Forageables in the State

Some of the most sought-after wild plants and fungi here can be surprisingly valuable. Whether you’re foraging for profit or personal use, these are the ones worth paying attention to:

Morel Mushroom (Morchella spp.)

Morel mushrooms have a honeycomb-like surface with deep pits and ridges. The cap is fully attached to the stem, which helps set them apart from dangerous lookalikes like false morels that often have wrinkled, lobed caps and loose or cottony interiors.

The rich, nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture make morels a favorite in high-end kitchens. Many people sauté them in butter, stuff them, or dry them for later use because they hold their flavor extremely well.

Always cook morels thoroughly because raw ones can cause stomach upset, even when they look perfectly normal.

Morels are highly prized by chefs and home cooks, sometimes selling for over $50 per pound fresh and even more when dried.

Part of what makes morels so valuable is how hard they are to cultivate and find. They often grow in specific, unpredictable places, and their short harvesting window drives up both the demand and the price.

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)

The fruit of chokecherry, also called bitter-berry or Virginia bird cherry, grows in dense clusters and ripens to a deep purple-black color. Its puckering taste is balanced out when cooked into jellies, syrups, or wine.

You can eat the skin and pulp, but the large pit inside contains toxic compounds and should never be consumed raw. Even the leaves and stems can be harmful if ingested.

Chokecherry has a tart, astringent flavor when fresh, but that changes entirely once heat and sugar are added. The texture softens nicely in jams and fruit leather.

The plant’s value comes from both its culinary uses and the fact that it grows abundantly in the wild. While not particularly high-priced, the fruits can still bring a decent return when sold in processed form.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. caerulea)

For centuries, elderberries have been gathered not just for food, but for making home remedies prized across the Southwest. Also called Mexican elder and tapiro, elderberry grows as a sprawling bush or small tree with clusters of tiny white flowers that turn into dusty blue-black berries.

There are toxic lookalikes you need to watch for, especially red elderberry, which has round clusters of bright red fruit. Elderberries grow in flatter, broader clusters and have a softer, more powdery appearance when ripe.

The berries have a deep, earthy flavor with a tart edge, and are usually cooked into jams, syrups, and baked goods to bring out their richness.

Make sure to avoid eating the raw berries, seeds, bark, or leaves because they can cause nausea unless they are properly cooked.

This plant stays valuable because the berries are used heavily in teas, tinctures, and syrups that people rely on for wellness, driving steady demand. Elderberries can also be dried and stored for months, making it even more profitable compared to foods that spoil quickly.

American Plum (Prunus americana)

American plums grow on small trees and produce fruit that ranges from deep red to bluish-purple with a waxy coating. The skin is tart and a little astringent, but the flesh inside is sweet, soft, and juicy when fully ripe.

You can eat the fruit fresh, but it’s more often cooked down into jelly, jam, or syrup. The pits are not edible and should always be discarded.

Some cherry species grow in similar clusters, but cherries tend to be smaller, rounder, and darker with smoother bark. American plum leaves also have a rough texture that helps separate them from other lookalikes.

These plums are valuable in small markets, especially when turned into preserves or wine. Individual trees can yield a good harvest, but the fruit is delicate and doesn’t store long.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)

You can spot serviceberry shrubs by their smooth gray bark, clusters of white flowers, and dark blue to purple berries. To avoid confusing them with less safe berries like chokecherries, look for the five-pointed crown at the end of each ripe serviceberry.

These berries taste sweet and slightly nutty, almost like a richer version of a blueberry. Most people dry them, bake them into pastries, or cook them down into rich preserves.

The edible part is the ripe berry, while eating too many seeds raw could cause mild stomach issues because of their natural compounds. When dried or frozen, the berries keep their flavor and quality, making them more valuable for long-term storage and resale.

Serviceberries are a favorite among foragers and chefs because they are packed with flavor and work well in a wide range of recipes. Many buyers are willing to pay well for clean, well-prepared berries that hold up beautifully in baking and cooking.

Golden Currant (Ribes aureum)

Golden currants grow on shrubs with soft lobed leaves and smooth, thornless branches, producing colorful berries that range from golden yellow to nearly purple. These berries are edible, juicy, and slightly tangy, often used in pies or turned into jam.

Only the berries are eaten, while the stems and leaves are not used for food. You can dry the fruit or freeze it, and the skin softens nicely when simmered into sauces or syrup.

They’re sometimes confused with other currants or wild gooseberries, but golden currants lack thorns and have a less aggressive flavor. If the plant has bristly stems or berries with tiny hairs, it’s probably not golden currant.

Golden currants are valuable in the kitchen for their versatility and unique taste, even though they aren’t commonly sold in stores. Their real worth lies in how many ways you can prepare and store the fruit without losing flavor.

American Matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare)

The American matsutake is a prized wild mushroom with a firm white stem, a cinnamon-colored cap, and a distinct spicy aroma. Its unique smell is often compared to a mix of pine, earth, and something sweetly fermented.

You’ll want to be careful not to confuse it with poisonous Amanitas, which may look similar but usually have a cup-like sac at the base and lack that signature matsutake scent. Only the cap and upper stem are eaten—discard the dirty base.

This mushroom is best sliced and grilled or used in broths, where it holds its shape and infuses everything with its bold flavor. It’s especially valued in Japanese cuisine and can fetch high prices, sometimes over $100 per pound when fresh and unblemished.

Its texture is dense and chewy, not soft like most mushrooms, which gives it a meatier feel in dishes. Even small quantities can add an intense punch of flavor, making it highly sought after by chefs.

Camas (Camassia quamash)

The edible bulbs of camas, also called blue camas or Indian hyacinth, were a traditional staple for many Indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest. You can identify the plant by its tall stalks topped with star-shaped blue or violet flowers and its grass-like leaves.

What matters most is telling it apart from death camas, which looks similar but has white flowers and is highly toxic. Camas bulbs are safe and starchy, while death camas will make you sick or worse.

You can roast, pit-bake, or slow-cook camas bulbs until they become sweet and chewy, like a mix between a roasted onion and a chestnut. Some people also dry them for later use, and they store well that way.

The bulbs are the only edible part of the plant and hold the most value, both nutritionally and historically. They aren’t especially profitable in modern markets, but their cultural and culinary importance makes them worth knowing.

Cattail (Typha latifolia)

Cattails grow tall in shallow water and feature long, narrow leaves with brown, sausage-like flower heads that help identify them. You can eat the tender shoots, the young green flower spikes, and the starchy rhizomes underground.

The shoots are often compared to cucumbers or hearts of palm and can be used raw in salads. The flower spikes are more enjoyable when steamed or boiled before they toughen.

Rhizomes have more calories than the rest of the plant, but they’re fibrous and need to be cooked or processed into flour to be useful. Avoid picking anything that looks similar but lacks the brown flower head—iris and other lookalikes can be harmful if ingested.

Cattails aren’t sold for much commercially, but their abundance and the number of usable parts make them a solid wild food source. Foragers value them for how much food they provide from one plant, even if they won’t fetch a high price.

Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens)

You’ll recognize Oregon grape by its leathery, holly-like leaves and dense clusters of purple-blue berries. The fruit is edible but intensely sour, with a gritty texture from the seeds.

The berries can be cooked down into syrups, pie filling, or jelly, and they blend well with sweeter fruits like apple or peach. They’re not eaten raw very often, but heat and sugar bring out the best in them.

Don’t confuse Oregon grape with plants like Virginia creeper or pokeweed, which also produce dark berries but lack the tough spiny leaves. The berries of those lookalikes are toxic and not safe to eat in any form.

Oregon grape doesn’t bring in much money commercially, but it’s prized by home foragers and small-scale producers for how well it preserves. The roots aren’t edible, but they’re sometimes processed separately for their bitter compounds.

Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

Evening primrose has yellow flowers shaped like open cups, long rough stems, and alternating leaves that taper at both ends. The entire plant has edible parts, but the taproot is what most people go for.

Raw roots are crisp and peppery, while cooking brings out a sweet earthiness similar to salsify. You can also eat the young leaves or sprinkle petals over salads, though they don’t have much flavor.

People sometimes mistake it for hairy mullein or even yellow salsify, but those have very different textures and flower shapes. Evening primrose petals are smooth and arranged evenly in a flat circle, which helps separate it from lookalikes.

It isn’t a high-dollar wild edible, but it offers a lot of food from one plant, making it valuable for foragers. The seeds have a mild nutty flavor and are sometimes ground or sprinkled onto dishes for texture.

Curly Dock (Rumex crispus)

Curly dock grows in a tall, upright cluster with narrow, wavy-edged leaves and a deep taproot. You’ll often see the older seed stalks turn a rusty brown and remain standing even after the leaves die back.

The leaves are edible when young, with a tart, lemony flavor and a slightly chewy texture once cooked. Most people boil them in a few changes of water or sauté them like spinach.

You can also harvest the seeds, which look like small, papery brown hulls along the dried stalks. They’re edible too, but gritty and often ground into flour to mix with other grains.

Some dock species aren’t as palatable or safe, especially ones with broader leaves or harsh, acrid sap. Curly dock is generally safe in moderation, but it does contain oxalates, so it’s not a good idea to eat it in large quantities every day.

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

If you come across a plant with thick, juicy leaves and low red stems crawling across the soil, you’re probably looking at purslane. It’s often confused with spurge, which grows flatter and leaks a white sap when broken.

Purslane is crunchy and slightly sour, almost like a lemony cucumber, and goes well in stews, grain bowls, or raw preparations. The leaves and stems are used most often, though the flower buds are technically usable too.

There’s no need to peel or prep it much beyond washing, and it adds texture to anything from rice dishes to dips. It’s rich in nutrients, especially omega-3s, and has become popular in both high-end and home kitchens.

While it grows widely, fresh purslane can fetch a decent price at niche markets or gourmet grocers. For foragers, it’s one of those plants that offers both nutrition and a small bit of profit potential.

Mountain Sorrel (Oxyria digyna)

Mountain sorrel grows close to the ground with rounded, clover-like leaves that are often tinged red near the edges. You’re looking for a plant with smooth, succulent foliage and reddish stems that curve upward gently.

The leaves are the only edible part and have a bright, tart flavor that’s similar to lemon peel or rhubarb. They’re great raw in salads or folded into fish dishes to add acidity.

Some people mistake it for sheep sorrel or other dock species, but mountain sorrel lacks the arrowhead-shaped leaves those plants have. Avoid anything with fuzzy or deeply lobed leaves, which may point to inedible or bitter species.

Its sharp taste comes from oxalic acid, so don’t eat large quantities in one sitting, especially if you have kidney issues. While it isn’t a high-dollar wild food, mountain sorrel is highly valued by foragers for its flavor and usefulness in alpine environments.

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)

Fireweed has tall stems topped with bright pink flowers and narrow leaves that spiral around the stalk, and the young parts of the plant are edible. People usually harvest the shoots, leaves, and flowers, which are the best-tasting and easiest to prepare.

The shoots can be steamed, sautéed, or even pickled, while the flowers make colorful additions to salads or preserves. The leaves work well fresh in salads or dried for herbal teas.

Some inedible plants like fireweed spurge have vaguely similar flower clusters, but they differ in leaf shape and growth pattern. Fireweed has long, smooth leaves and grows in a clear vertical line without much branching.

It doesn’t sell for high prices, but it’s valued by foragers for how much you can harvest from a single plant. Skip the lower, tougher stems, which tend to be fibrous and unpleasant to chew.

Tulip Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia phaeacantha)

The pads of tulip prickly pear cactus are firm and green, with clusters of sharp reddish spines and small, barbed glochids that need to be removed before cooking. Young pads, called nopales, are the part most often eaten and have a soft, slightly tangy flavor after boiling or grilling.

Fruit from this cactus is edible too, and its sweet pulp can be made into syrups, candy, or jelly. Some people chill the peeled fruits and eat them raw like a snack.

It’s important not to confuse this cactus with ornamental varieties that have spines but produce little or no edible pad or fruit. Tulip prickly pear offers both culinary use and hydration, which has made it useful in survival and subsistence foraging.

While not extremely valuable commercially, the cactus does have modest economic use in local markets and as a niche food item. The fruit’s bright color and sweetness make it a favorite in desserts and drinks in regions where the plant grows naturally.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

The tall, bright blooms of the sunflower aren’t just ornamental—this plant offers edible seeds with a mild, nutty flavor and a tender crunch when roasted. You can eat the seeds raw, toasted, or ground into sunflower butter, and they’re also pressed for oil that’s widely used in cooking.

What makes sunflower seeds valuable is their high oil content and protein, making them both nutritious and commercially important. The seeds can sell for a good price, especially in large-scale production or organic markets.

While the seeds and sprouts are edible, you should avoid the leaves and stalks, which are too fibrous and bitter to be useful. The seed head itself is also too tough to eat once matured.

Wild sunflower varieties do have some lookalikes, including certain types of daisies or ragweed, but only sunflowers produce large, seed-packed heads with thick, bristly centers. If you’re unsure, cracking open a flower head to check for developing seeds is a reliable indicator.

Common Juniper (Juniperus communis)

You can eat the bluish, waxy berries that grow on common juniper, but not all juniper species are safe. Some lookalikes like creeping juniper produce similar-looking cones that taste bitter and can cause stomach upset.

Common juniper berries have a dry, resinous taste with a piney bite, and they’re most often dried and used to season meat dishes or flavor gin. Don’t eat the needles or bark—they’re not toxic, but they’re also not digestible.

The berries are small and round, usually dusty blue, and grow directly from the twig on spiny, short-needled branches. You’ll usually find them on low, scrubby shrubs that spread outward rather than upward.

These berries are valuable for their concentrated flavor and preservative properties in curing meat. Commercially, they’re not expensive by the pound, but they’re often used in small-batch spice blends or artisanal food products.

Wild Mint (Mentha arvensis)

The flavor of wild mint is cool, clean, and slightly peppery, especially when the leaves are freshly crushed. Most people use the leaves, but the young stems are edible too when finely chopped.

Wild mint grows low to the ground and produces small, pale purple flowers along the stem. Its most common lookalike is American pennyroyal, which has a similar shape but a much harsher, almost medicinal smell and is toxic in large amounts.

You can dry the leaves for tea or candy them for baking projects, but they’re also good tossed into salads straight from the field. The texture is soft, almost velvety, with a satisfying chew when fresh.

It doesn’t sell for much in bulk, but its value lies in how much use you can get from a small batch. If you’re preserving herbs for your own pantry, it’s one of the best native mints to have on hand.

Where to Find Valuable Forageables in the State

Some parts of the state are better than others when it comes to finding valuable wild plants and mushrooms. Here are the different places where you’re most likely to have luck:

When to Forage for Maximum Value

Every valuable wild plant or mushroom has its season. Here’s a look at the best times for harvest: