Stardew Valley: Worst Foraging Items, Ranked

Stardew Valley tends to draw in gamers who like to choose their own adventure, as its many different mechanisms for improvement and low stakes make a player's time in the world feel truly their own. Foraging has its own skill meter for the Farmer to build. Every discovered item adds more XP and extra value to the next trip beyond the Farm's fences.

While some foraged items are worth more than their weight in gold, some are better off abandoning on the forest floor if they can't be quickly dumped in the Shipping Bin. Here are some of the less useful examples, which newbie Farmers will quickly learn to leave alone whenever they find them in the Valley.

8 Sap

Useful But Ubiquitous

A screenshot of the Stardew Valley items menu with the cursor on Sap

Where To Find	Trees Slimes
Stats	-2 Energy 0 Health
Use	Crafting Bundles (Remixed)
Sell Price	2g

Sap is a victim of its own success when it comes to foraging in Stardew Valley. It is of the very first goods a new player encounters, as it's dropped every time they fell a tree. Players soon find that it has a variety of crafting uses, such as producing Torches and various kinds of Fertilizer.

However, its ubiquity early in the game quickly makes it more of a burden than a bonus. Better crafting recipes soon supersede the need for tiny Torches and basic fertilizers. Sap is a universally Hated Gift, and can't be consumed. A low selling price makes it an early candidate to throw in the trash to free up inventory space.

7 Spring Onion

Soon Seems Superfluous

A screenshot of the Stardew Valley items menu with the cursor on Spring Onion

Where To Find	Cindersap Forest, near the sewer drain (spring)
Stats	+13 Energy +5 Health
Use	Artisan Goods Bundles (Remixed)
Sell Price	8g

Available in Spring as one of the first seasonal foraging items the Farmer is alerted to, Spring Onions can provide a much-needed energy boost when consumed during a player's first season in Stardew Valley. By the time year two rolls around, though, they've mostly outlived their usefulness.

One thing which improves Spring Onion as a foraging item is its ability to become an Artisan Good through pickling or juicing. This makes it a far better gift for a wider variety of NPCs. Harvey's affection for Pickles of all kinds even makes it Loved by his standards. In their raw form, however, there isn't much point to Spring Onions after Year One ends.

6 Red Mushroom

Red And Dead

A screenshot of the Stardew Valley items menu with the cursor on Red Mushroom

Where To Find	Farm Cave Mushroom Tree Secret Woods (summer) The Mines
Stats	-50 Energy 0 Health
Use	Bundles Recipes (Life Elixir) Quests
Sell Price	75g

For first-time players who fail to check the stats of a new item before consuming it, Red Mushroom is often their first introduction to poison in the world of Stardew Valley. Sapping a whopping fifty points of energy at its base, it's a sharp reminder that negative consequences exist even in the game's mostly cozy world.

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Despite this, the Red Mushroom is used in the stat-saving Life Elixir recipe, and in numerous bundles and quests. However, its status as an almost universally Hated Gift (aside from Penny, who merely Dislikes it) and ability to poison the player earn its spot on the list of worst foraged items.

5 Magma Cap

Nutritious But Not Necessary

A screenshot of the Stardew Valley player inventory with the cursor on a Magma Cap

Where To Find	Volcano Dungeon Stingray Fish Pond
Stats	+175 Energy +78 Health
Use	Gifting
Sell Price	400g

Exotic but relatively useless, the Magma Cap can be found in the Volcano Dungeon on Ginger Island. It can also be produced by a Stingray Fish Pond, if the waters contain more than four of the flappy swimmers.

The Magma Cap's location suggests its primary usefulness: it can be a vital source of Energy and Health if a player hasn't stacked their inventory with food before attempting a Volcano run. Its only other real use is to purchase Pineapple Seeds from the Island Trader, or be sold for a relatively hefty 400g.

4 Chanterelle

Life Elixir Or Less

A screenshot of the Stardew Valley items menu with the cursor on Chanterelle

Where To Find	Farm Cave Secret Woods (fall) Ginger Island Mushroom Cave
Stats	+75 Energy +33 Health
Use	Gifting Recipes
Sell Price	160g

This item can be found by foraging in the Secret Woods, or easily accessed on the Farm if the Mushroom Cave option is chosen for Demitrius's experiments. Unfortunately, Chanterelles are less useful than other mushroom varieties.

Despite being part of the health-restoring, stat-boosting Life Elixir recipe, the fruity fungus isn't used in any bundles or other crafting recipes. A Liked Gift at best and a buff-less, low-tier option for consumption, players are better off tossing this in the Shipping Bin for its relatively high base selling price of 160g, or in the Food Dehydrator if they can gather enough.

3 Nautilus Shell

A Cold Reward For Combing

A screenshot of the Stardew Valley items menu with the cursor on Nautilus Shell

Where To Find	Beach (winter) Dangerous Mines
Stats	Inedible
Use	Bundles Fish Pond
Sell Price	120g

Described as 'an ancient shell,' newbie players may be tricked into trying to add a Nautilus Shell to the Museum's collection of artifacts the first time they encounter one. Sadly, this Winter foraged good won't earn them any kudos from Gunther.

Used for the Field Research Bundle and occasionally requested by a Sturgeon Fish Pond, the Nautilus Shell is otherwise inedible and a near-universally Disliked Gift for NPCs. Its mid-range base selling price of 120g gets higher as its quality increases, but it remains a poor reward for beach combing in the cold.

2 Oyster

Clamming Up Crab Pots

A screenshot of the Stardew Valley items menu with the cursor on Oyster

Where To Find	Beach Crab Pot
Stats	Inedible
Use	Bundles Recipes Fish Pond
Sell Price	40g

Found year-round on the Beach and occasionally scooped up by saltwater Crab Pots, Oysters in Stardew Valley are a lot less fancy than their real-world counterpart. Far from a luxury food item, they only become edible when processed into Sashimi or Maki Rolls.

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By Syd Briscoe

The other primary use for Oyster is to use it in the Crab Pot Bundle, or put it into a Fish Pond…where it produces either Trash or other low-value foraging items from the Beach. With a base selling price of 40g (which at maximum only triples, taking into account quality and profession buffs), this is better off left on the sand.

1 Holly

Decorative But Dangerous

A screenshot of the Stardew Valley items menu with the cursor on Holly

Where	Whole Valley (winter)
Stats	-37 Energy 0 Health
Use	Bundles (Remixed)
Sell Price	80g

Holly can be found throughout Stardew Valley during the Winter, with its eye-catching red berries and green leaves enticing players to quickly add it to their inventory. But like real-world poisonous plants, its bright exterior hides an energy-draining secret.

At maximum a Liked Gift (for Leah, Harvey, and Linus), and only otherwise used for a Remixed Winter Foraging Bundle, Holly serves no additional purpose as the potency of its poison rises alongside its quality. A base selling price of 80g only crawls up to 160g when at Iridium quality, meaning players are better off steering clear of this prickly plant entirely.

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