Foraging is one of the many skills the player character can level up in Stardew Valley. It can be levelled by collecting items you can find in and around Pelican Town. These items can be used to complete community centre bundles, to generate money or to restore energy. Further to this, Foraging can also be levelled up by chopping trees, which comes with the nice biproduct of making felling those trees easier as you level up. It’s a skill that will always come in handy no matter where you are, or what stage you’re at in Stardew Valley. You’ll even start to find higher quality items as you level it up, so it shouldn’t be ignored.
Foraging Locations
The Forest Farm
When starting Stardew Valley, the player is given the choice of a Farm type. Should you choose the Forest Farm, you’ll find that Foraging items spawn much more frequently. The farm itself does have somewhat less space for crops, but Hardwood respawns daily at it’s West side, making it ideal for those looking to maximise that material, though bear in mind you’ll need a Copper Axe to cut it.
The Woods
South of your farm you’ll find The Woods, which is an ideal place to Forage for items. If you manage to keep the area clear of wood, stones and weeds, Foraging items will constantly respawn here, making it a fine area to spend your time collecting. The southern area is very useful at the start of the game due to the spawn rate of Spring Onions, which restore a small amount of energy when eaten, though as their name might suggest they only spawn in the Spring.
Travel a little west from The Woods and you’ll find The Secret Woods. This area is initially blocked off by a large log, but once you manage to get a Steel Axe, we recommend coming here to break your way through. The area beyond is rife with loot, including daily spawning Hardwood, but the highlight of which has to be the Fiddlehead Fern for the Community Centre, though this only spawns in Summer. That’s not all however, there’s even a pond here that contains another essential item: The Woodskip fish. It’s a great area, but you’ll want to bring something to defend yourself against the spawning slimes!
The Mountains
Foraging items spawn all over the Mountain area, even the route from your farm to the mountains themselves contains some spots. Initially this area is blocked off, however on the 3rd of Summer an Earthquake is reported to have occurred through the night, and it can now be explored. When you first arrive it’s covered in logs, stones and weeds, but if you clear these up you’ll make space for even more Foraging items to spawn.
The Beach
The Beach is a prime location for Foraging, especially once the bridge towards the eastern side is repaired. It’ll cost 300 Wood to do so, but it’s very much worth it to unlock the extra Foraging area. Items that spawn in this area are often unique to the Beach, such as Coral and Sea Urchins. Shellfish can also be found here, though they will raise your Fishing skill rather than Foraging. There are two key items found in this area; Rainbow Shells can be found here in the Summer, which are required to progress the Casino quest, and Nautilus Shells that are found in the Winter, required for a Community Centre bundle.
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Key Foraging Dates To Remember
Salmonberry Season
- 15th to 18th Spring
During this date period, Salmonberries bushes will spawn around Pelican Town. Depending on your Foraging skill, 1 – 3 berries can be gathered from these, and they’ll gain Iridium quality should you have chosen the Botanist skill. These respawn every day, and can be used to regain both health and energy. We recommend collecting as many of these as possible during this period.
Blackberry Season
- 8th to 11th Autumn
Much like the Salmonberries detailed above, Blackberries can be found around Pelican Town during this time period. This time however, they can also be found on the ground, not just in bushes. This serves the same purpose as the Salmonberry, restoring health and energy, however we’d argue they’re less useful due to the season. By the time Autumn rolls around, you’re likely to be cooking your own food that may outclass the humble Blackberry.
Bonus Beach Foraging
- 12th to 14th Summer (Following the Luau)
In the days following the Luau, the Beach will become home to significantly increased amounts of Foraging loot. It’s certainly worth taking advantage of this to level up your Foraging skill, and the loot available can be worth quite a bit of gold.
Foraging Skills
Akin to the other skills in Stardew Valley, Foraging can be levelled up to gain access to new recipes and skills. At level 5 and level 10 you’ll be given a choice of profession, pictured above. The choice you make at level 5 will determine which skills you gain access to at level 10, so choose wisely. Following are the skills you will gain depending on the choice you make, which you can reset by visiting the dog statue in the sewers.
Forester Route
- Lumberjack: All trees have a chance to drop Hardwood
- Tapper: Syrup is worth 25% more.
Gatherer Route
- Botanist: Foraged items are always highest quality.
- Tracker: Location of forageable items revealed.
During the process of levelling Foraging, you will earn the ability to craft Tree Tappers at level 3. By using these items on trees you will be able to collect Oak Resin, Pine Tar and Maple Syrup from each of their respective trees, all of which can be used for Community Centre bundles. It’s also worth noting that you can place one of these Tappers on a mushroom tree. These grey trunked trees may spawn on your farm, and placing a Tapper on this will have it collect mushrooms for you, albeit only regular quality types.
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Essential Foraging Tips
- Seed Packets, earned by donating forage bundles to the Community Centre, can be used to grow forageables on your farm. You can also craft these as your Foraging skill grows, requiring one of each season’s Foraging crop to craft ten seeds. We recommend you keep some of these for the tough Winter months when little else will grow.
- Once you earn 25,000g total, Demetrius will visit you. Should you choose the Bat Cave option that he provides, the cave itself will sometimes spawn fruits. If you have chosen the Botanist skill we detailed above, you can grab yourself some Iridium quality fruits, and have a chance to grab two at once.
- Whilst exploring the Mines you may find Mushrooms, which will level your Foraging skill when you collect them. There is a possibility that an entire Mushroom floor will spawn between floors 81 and 119, which is a fantastic place to collect mushrooms. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on some Purple Mushrooms, these can be used to restore a big amount of health and energy. Alternatively you can use them for Community Centre bundles, or sold for some extra gold.
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