As always, if you're new to foraging and want to give it a try, please read the first diary in the FFF series for some important information.
  So what kinds of fruit can you collect right now? Well, one place to start might be with the cornelian cherry (aka the cornel), which I originally previewed in this diary. They're a favorite in their country of origin, Turkey. The berries grow on short trees (single trunk) or tall shrubs (multiple trunks) that can reach 30 feet in height but are usually closer to 20 with grey-brown bark that flakes so much that the plant sometimes looks sickly. The branches feature smooth, glossy, bright green, opposite leaves with veins that gracefully arch back toward the midrib. Although cornelian cherries are currently found wild only in New York state (at least according to the Plants database), these attractive plants are favorites of professional landscapers and can be found in well-groomed places like college campuses, office parks, hospital grounds, arboretums, botanical gardens and public parks across the U.S. and Canada. (Above Left: Cornelian Cherry Bark; Above Right: Cornelian Cherry Leaves, both by wide eyed lib)
In early Spring, cornelian cherry trees develop tiny, yellow flowers that superficially resemble those of spicebush (photo here). However, cornelian cherry flowers are unscented and clumped only at the ends of branches. After the flowers fall off, these shrubs develop somewhat oblong fruits about an inch long, each containing a single, long, dark seed. The fruit starts off green but turns a lovely scarlet by late Summer.  Berries that are this color or sometimes a bit lighter will drop to the ground. At this stage they will be still be pretty firm. This is okay because cornelian cherries are one of the few fruits that actually need to be separated from the tree before they will ripen. (Many fruits, like tomatoes and avocados, will continue to ripen off the plant, but most of those will also ripen on the plant as well.) (Right: Cornelian Cherries by wide eyed lib)
Given that cornelian cherries are a landscaped plant, it's actually pretty fortuitous that the berries only ripen once they fall off. While it's always best to ask permission before foraging on private property, it's very unlikely that anyone will object to someone who is picking up fruit that has fallen to the ground. (For reasons I don't really understand, lots of people are really squeamish about fruit from the ground.) Look for fruits that are still firm or just getting soft, and reject any whose outer skin has been compromised. Shaking the branches a bit will encourage a few additional ripe berries to the ground. You can also pick them directly from the tree, but doing so is a bit tricky because color and firmness aren't all that helpful in determining whether the fruit is ready to be picked.
Rinse the fruit, let it dry fully and then refrigerate it for a week to 10 days until it is wrinkled and very soft. While the fruit right off the tree is extremely sour, after it is ripe it has a delicious balance of sweetness and tartness, much like a red plum. Cornelian cherries can be used in almost any recipe for berries and are perfect for jams because they contain lots of pectin. Although they can be pitted first, in Turkey they're often cooked whole, like olives, and served with a special spoon for transferring the pits from mouth to side bowl. And again like olives, they're more flavorful that way. Cornelian cherries are perfect for making "cranberry" sauce, delicious in scones or muffins and equally yummy eaten out of hand. Or do as the Turks do and pickle them in brine. A quick google yields lots of other ways to use them.
@-->-- @-->-- @-->-- @-->--
I wish I knew half what the flock of them know
Of where all the berries and other things grow,
Cranberries in bogs and raspberries on top
Of the boulder-strewn mountain, and when they will crop.
"Blueberries" by Robert Frost
 When discussing a common fruit like the blueberry (previewed in this diary), it's difficult to know how much detail to present. Is there really anyone out there who doesn't recognize a blueberry when they see one? Well, based on the number I saw rotting or drying out on bushes yesterday along a popular hiking trail in a crowded park, maybe so. (Left: Blueberry Leaves by wide eyed lib)
Blueberries (and close relations like huckleberries and bilberries, all family Vaccinium) grow on frequently branching, native shrubs that can be only a few inches tall in the case of lowbush blueberries (V. angustifolium)) or up to 20 feet tall in the case of highbush blueberries (V. corymbosum). The leaves are sparse, leathery, pointed ovals that are officially alternate but often grow so close together toward the end of the branches that they appear whorled. They also sometimes have fine teeth. In mid-Spring, the bushes develop tiny, bell-shaped flowers that range from pale green to white to pink to purple. After these drop off, they are replaced by tiny, light green berries that begin to ripen in mid-Summer and range in color from black to blue to purple to red when ripe.
 The berries of different species ripen at different times, and if you find a spot with multiple varieties, you can gather berries in the Northeast from August to October, with peak production in September. They grow in forested and partially shaded areas throughout the entire U.S. and all Canadian provinces. (The Plants database claims they don't grow in Nebraska or North Dakota, but color me skeptical.) The berries of all Vaccinium species have a distinctive 5-pointed crown on the blossom end, though on some species it will fall off as the berry ripens. Luckily, no blue-black berries with a 5 pointed crown are poisonous. If you find what you suspect are blueberries that lack a crown, try to find under-ripe berries on the same bush to verify that they do have crowns. Some but not all species also have a powdery, white bloom on the berry's surface. (Right: Blueberry Flower by wide eyed lib)
Right about now is the part of description where I generally discuss how to tell the difference between the related species. But the truth is that every book will tell you something different. I've read books that say that huckleberry leaves are always toothed and books that say they're never toothed. Complicating matters further, the species often grow side-by-side and cross-pollinate. Even scientists sometimes can't figure it out. If the berries are blue or black, have a 5 pointed crown and smallish, sparse and leathery leaves, eat them all and let the botanists sort them out.
 Now that you know how to recognize blueberries, I hope you can figure out how to eat them. (If not, this website will help.) Less well known are the medicinal uses. Blueberries contain substances that soothe the stomach and intestines by counteracting the activity of certain bacteria in the gut. Tea from the leaves (which can also be used in a non-medicinal fashion, especially with a few crushed berries mixed in) has been used to treat infant colic, as a blood purifier and for urinary tract infections. The tea is also good for diabetics because it contains a substance that reduces blood glucose levels. Finally, eating blueberries and their relatives has a short term effect on night vision, which was discovered accidentally by British pilots flying night missions during WWII. These berries contain high levels of Vitamin C as well as anthocyanosides which increase the short-term efficiency of the eye. Because of this they've also been used for temporary relief of eye problems such as cataracts and glaucoma. (Left: Blueberries by wide eyed lib)
@-->-- @-->-- @-->-- @-->--
  Our final plant for today is another that needs little introduction, the blackberry. Like previously discussed raspberries and wineberries, blackberries are also in the Rubus family and grow on biennial, curved canes that spring from perennial, underground roots. There are at least 100 species folded into the common name "blackberry," some native and others foreign, and I would need at least a thousand book-length pages and an advanced botany degree with a Rubus specialization to even begin to tackle the various, interbreeding species. (Above: Blackberry Leaf; Right: Blackberry Cane, both by wide eyed lib. Note that only the pointed, toothed leaves in the right photo are blackberry leaves.)
Suffice it to say that blackberries generally differ from raspberries and wineberries in the fact that the receptacle (the part that connects the fruit with the plant) stays in the center of the drupelet cluster when a blackberry is picked, whereas it stays on the plant when a raspberry or wineberry is picked, leaving those fruits hollow. Other differences exist but are not necessarily widespread enough to help distinguish between plants. For instance, blackberries tend to have more slender, sharper spines and the leaflets tend to be more narrow, with the leading leaflet less likely to be larger than the other leaflets. Two of the more common species are R. allegheniensis, the common blackberry found  mostly in the Eastern half of the country, and R. ursinus, the California blackberry, found mostly in the Western half of the country. The berries with the common names of dewberry (several species in the sub-genus Eubatus) and the golden-colored cloudberry (R. chamaemorus and growing mostly above the Arctic Circle) are also grouped with blackberries rather than raspberries. I believe some variety or other grows in every U.S. state and all Canadian provinces, though it's a little difficult to tell since there are so many species. (Left: Blackberry Flower by wide eyed lib)
Blackberry canes flower in Spring of their second year. The flowers are white and 5 petaled with many stamens and ovaries. Each fertilized ovary produces its own drupelet and together these form the aggregate fruit. The fruits ripen beginning in mid-to-late Summer, are normally longer than they are wide and can be tiny with only 2-3 drupelets or up to 2 inches long with many drupelets. Different canes may have sweeter or tarter fruit, and the fruit can vary wildly in size, flavor and abundance from year to year. The seeds tend to be larger in wild varieties than domestic ones. There are no poisonous fruits that resemble blackberries. At worst you may eat a black raspberry. Blackberry leaves bear a superficial resemblance to poison ivy leaves (covered here, with additional photos of flowers and berries here), but poison ivy leaves are shinier and never toothed.
 Now that you've braved scratches and battled mosquitos and spiders for your blackberries, what should you do with them? (Besides send them to me, you mean?) Personally, my favorite way to eat blackberries is in a bowl with a sprinkle of sugar, though I did have some terrific homemade blackberry scones for breakfast this morning. If you're feeling more ambitious, here's a page with some fine-looking recipes. The season's just getting started, but I'm hoping at some point to have enough berries for a pie. (Right: Blackberries by wide eyed lib)
As for the medicinal uses, I'll let Plants for a Future take it away:
The roots are antihaemorrhoidal, antirheumatic, astringent, stimulant and tonic. An infusion can be used in the treatment of stomach complaints, diarrhoea, piles, coughs and colds, tuberculosis and rheumatism. The infusion has also been used by women threatened with a miscarriage. The root can be chewed to treat a coated tongue. An infusion of the root has been used as a wash for sore eyes. The leaves are astringent. An infusion can be used in the treatment of diarrhoea. An infusion of the bark has been used in the treatment of urinary problems. A decoction of the stems has been used as a diuretic. (Ed. Note: See original for citations)
_______________________________________________________
If you're interested in foraging and missed the earlier diaries in the series, you can click here for the previous 20 installments. As always, please feel free to post photos in the comments and I'll do my best to help identify what you've found. (And if you find any errors, let me know.)
Here are some helpful foraging resources:
"Wildman" Steve Brill's site covers many edibles and includes nice drawings.
"Green" Deane Jordan's site is quite comprehensive and has color photos and stories about many plants.
Green Deane's foraging how-to clips on youtube each cover a single plant in reassuring detail.
Linda Runyon's site features only a few plants but has great deals on her dvd, wild cards and books (check out the package deals in particular).
Steve Brill's book, Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places is my primary foraging guide. (Read reviews here, but if you're feeling generous, please buy from Steve's website.)
Linda Runyon's book The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide contains especially detailed information about nutritional content and how to store and preserve wild foods.
Samuel Thayer's book The Forager's Harvest is perhaps the finest resource out there for the 32 plants covered. The color photos and detailed harvest and preparation information are top-notch.
Steve Brill also offers guided foraging tours in NYC-area parks. Details and contact info are on his website.
Don Wiss's website is a treasure trove featuring hundreds of photos of common northeastern edibles.
Finally, the USDA plants database is a great place to look up info on all sorts of plants.
See you next Sunday!
<-- Previous Diary in Series
Next Diary in Series --> |
