Foraging in Seattle: Free Fruit Is Everywhere

Seattle is one of the best foraging cities in the country. Decades of street-tree planting plus a mild climate means apples, figs, plums, and chestnuts grow on public land all over the metro — most of it unpicked.

What's ripe in Seattle right now

October

• Apples — peak season. Old street trees in residential neighborhoods are the mother lode.
• Figs — tail end; check south-facing trees now.
• Italian plums — late varieties still hanging in some neighborhoods.
• Chestnuts — dropping in parks through November.

Where to look in Seattle

• Residential street trees — Green Lake, Wallingford, Beacon Hill, and West Seattle have heavy concentrations of old fruit trees.
• Parks — larger parks often hold heritage apple and plum trees from old homesteads.
• University of Washington campus — diverse plantings, publicly accessible.
• Community orchards — Seattle has several public food-forest projects explicitly meant for picking.

Thousands of Seattle spots, mapped

Fruit Finder has thousands of mapped Seattle-area fruit trees and foraging spots with photos and ripeness info from local foragers. Open the map, find what's ripe near you, and go pick it.

Foraging etiquette

• Public trees only. Stick to street trees, parks, and other public land. If a tree is in someone's yard, knock and ask — most people are happy to share rather than watch fruit rot.
• Pick gently. Don't break branches. Twist fruit off cleanly or use a picker for high branches.
• Leave some behind. Take what you'll use and leave the rest for wildlife and other foragers.
• Be sure before you eat. Only eat fruit you can positively identify. When in doubt, ask the community — that's what Fruit Finder reviews are for.
• Skip polluted spots. Avoid trees right next to busy roads or industrial sites.

Find it on the map

Fruit Finder maps thousands of publicly accessible fruit trees and foraging spots. Free on Android — iOS coming soon.