Part of the series: Wild, Weedy, and In Your Yard: Late Summer Foraging

Key Takeaways

Marginal spaces — like fields, fencelines, and abandoned gardens — are often rich in edible plants with deep historical and cultural connections.
Many species in these spaces are part of both Indigenous and settler food traditions.
Plants from these areas may have medicinal or ceremonial uses, as well as culinary ones.
Foraging here requires knowledge of plant identification, land history, and safe harvesting practices.

Introduction

The edges of the land have always been important. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples knew where berry patches would ripen each season, where wild roots could be dug without harming the population, and where migrating birds or animals could be hunted as they passed. Later, settlers marked property lines with hedgerows and fruit trees, inadvertently creating long, narrow larders for future generations.

Today, many of these spaces have been left to grow wild. They may look untended, but they are far from empty. Fields dotted with goldenrod, fencelines tangled with chokecherries, and forgotten gardens bursting with mint tell stories of both deliberate planting and the unstoppable spread of wild species. In late summer, these transitional spaces are at their most generous.

Why Marginal Spaces Matter for Foraging

Marginal spaces are ecological intersections — places where nature and human activity meet, overlap, and sometimes coexist for centuries. In agricultural history, these spaces acted as windbreaks, boundaries, and sources of supplemental food. A single hedgerow might hold medicinal herbs, fruiting shrubs, and pollinator habitat.

For Indigenous communities, certain edge habitats were part of planned seasonal rounds. For example, prairie fencelines today often grow chokecherries, a fruit with a long history of use in pemmican and other preserved foods. The location of these plants wasn’t accidental — early plantings by both Indigenous and settler hands ensured ongoing harvests.

Common Plants Found in Fields and Meadows

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

Goldenrod thrives in open fields and disturbed ground across Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia. Historically, it has been used in teas to support kidney function and reduce inflammation. In some settler communities, goldenrod tea was a caffeine-free alternative to imported black tea during shortages, such as the American Revolution’s “Liberty Tea” movement. While mostly a medicinal plant today, its young leaves and flowers can be used in herbal infusions and natural dyeing.

Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium album)

Sometimes called “wild spinach,” lamb’s quarters grow across every Canadian province and territory. Rich in iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C, it has been a famine food in Europe, Asia, and North America for centuries. The seeds, related to quinoa, were parched and ground into flour by Indigenous peoples in the Prairies. Even now, it’s valued by permaculturists for its ability to thrive in poor soil and regenerate quickly after harvest.

Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Found mostly in southern Canada, milkweed has deep ties to both ecology and foraging history. The tender shoots, flower buds, and immature pods are edible once boiled to remove bitterness, and were eaten by some Indigenous groups and early settlers. Medicinally, its sap was sometimes applied to remove warts, though caution is necessary. It’s also essential habitat for monarch butterflies, making ethical harvesting vital.

Wild Carrot / Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)

Naturalized from Europe, wild carrot is now found throughout southern Canada. Its roots are edible when young, but in late summer the seeds are more useful, traditionally chewed for digestive issues. Historical records from early settlers note its use as both a food and a medicinal plant, though great care is required to distinguish it from poisonous lookalikes like water hemlock.

Meadow Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)

Sorrel’s tart, lemony leaves have been eaten fresh or cooked in soups for centuries. Indigenous peoples sometimes used sorrel leaves as a vitamin-rich spring food, while settlers valued them for scurvy prevention. It grows in meadows and along paths, thriving in moist, well-drained soils. In herbal medicine, sorrel has been used for digestion and as part of traditional spring tonics.

Foraging Along Fencelines

Fencelines act as linear seed banks. Birds perch along the wires, dropping seeds in their droppings. Windblown seeds collect where grasses and shrubs slow them down. Over time, these narrow strips become home to fruiting plants like raspberries, hawthorn, and chokecherries.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, farmers sometimes intentionally planted edible or medicinal shrubs along fencelines to mark boundaries. Old agricultural journals from Ontario and Manitoba recommend chokecherries for “both boundary and table,” reflecting their dual purpose as a property marker and a seasonal food source.

Today, foragers along rural fencelines may find heritage crabapple trees — sometimes all that remains of an original homestead orchard. These can be valuable for preserving rare apple varieties no longer in commercial production.

Discovering Forgotten Gardens

Many perennial plants outlive the people who planted them. In forgotten gardens, you might find rhubarb, horseradish, mint, chives, or asparagus growing decades after the last cultivation. These plants were chosen for their hardiness and ability to return each year without care.

Heritage fruit trees are another common find. A single apple tree might represent a cultivar brought over by settlers from Scotland or Eastern Europe, adapted to Canadian conditions over generations. Some heritage varieties, like the Snow Apple (Fameuse), are rare enough that they’re now sought after by orchard preservationists.

Indigenous peoples also maintained garden spaces, sometimes mixing cultivated plants with native species in ways that encouraged both to thrive. These sites might now appear “wild,” but often hold a carefully balanced mix of food and medicine.

Safety and Ethical Considerations

While marginal spaces can be rich in edible plants, they also require caution. Roadside plants may absorb heavy metals from vehicle emissions. Fields may have been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. Even seemingly wild areas may be on private property — always seek permission before harvesting.

Cultural respect is equally important. Many plants in these areas have Indigenous uses and histories. Foragers should avoid overharvesting and take care not to disturb culturally significant sites.

Conclusion

Fields, fencelines, and forgotten gardens are more than neglected spaces — they are living archives of food history. From the chokecherry thickets along prairie fence lines to rhubarb crowns growing beside a crumbling foundation, these places hold flavours, medicines, and memories.

By learning to identify and respect the plants in these spaces, we carry forward the knowledge embedded in the land — knowledge that, like the plants themselves, can endure for generations.