Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana) - good raw or cooked into jam/pie/syrup, although raw is a unique and for some, acquired, taste. Be sure to discard the seeds though - like a lot of stone fruit, the pits contain cyanide and are toxic.
Milkweed Pods (Asclepias syriaca) - another wild edible from the prolific milkweed! pods can be eaten whole, or saved just for the inner core, which turns a cheesy texture when cooked.
Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella): This tender, sour green is a favorite among the youngest foragers. Best eaten raw in a salad, but also makes fantastic pesto or lemonade.
Wild Thyme (Thymus)- use like any cultivated thyme: leaves and flowers as a fresh, savory seasoning; or dry and save for winter flavor
Wild Apples (Malus domestica) - a seriously wild relative of cultivated apples, this super tart variety comes from a mature forest where it grows in the understory and edges. It may have escaped from an abandoned orchard down the road many many years ago. In its journey back to the wild, it's become tiny and tart, thought it's best used as a cooking apple. Excellent in pies, juice, sauce, etc...
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)- great for salad, but can also be sauteed. Purslane is one of those super healthy greens, containing lots of Omega-3s, Vitamin E, beta carotene, VItamin C, magnesium, riboflavin, potassium, and phosphorus. Phew.
Nettle seeds (Urdica dioica) - a super superfood. Nettle seeds aren't very memorable in taste (vaguely reminiscent of seaweed) but make up for it in their magic health powers.
- All about nettle seeds and how to incorporate them into daily diet (smoothies, soups, salads, teas, baked into things...)
- More about use and history
Elderberries (Sambucus canadensis) - are delicious and highly medicinal (great immunity booster) but must be cooked before enjoying!
Hopniss/American Groundnut (Apios americana) - a staple of North American indigenous diets, hopniss is a vine that produces edible beans, tubers, and flowers. The flowers taste like peas and can be eaten raw or lightly cooked. They are slightly sweet and floral and would fit well into both sweet and savory dishes. There isn't much available by way of recipes for flowers, but here's more info on the plant itself: