wild berries…. to eat or not to eat isn’t that the question?…

30Jul07

When I originally researched which berries I could and could not eat it was a mess. My first priority on this blog was to allow locals the ability to attempt to find out these answers easily. I became easily frustrated because most of the photos were very badly taken and the books were never any good at garnering answers. So let’s talk edible. 

This is Oregon’s state plant. Oregon liked it because the glossy leaves could be used for decoration and it was plenty. It resembles a holly leaf and it very shiny and often the ones left in sunlight the leaves will turn orange or bright red. It is a lovely plant. The “grapes” are edible and have been eaten quite a bit over the years by both pioneers as well as Indians. It has also been used for medicinal purposes. (I put grapes in quotes because they really are berries and not grapes but do have an oval shape more like a grape.)  However, it it a sour little thing and should never be eaten if pregnant. Rumor has it – it may contain oxidants that actually help with cancer patients. (This is still being studied.)

If your not sure (in comparision to the holly leaf which is very poisonous) then consider it’s flowers in spring. It goes bright yellow… then no flower and then these lovely berries sprout up. Consider also the holly berry is red.

One basic rule when dealing with nature is be really hesitant with red. Don’t pick up the red bellied spider…. and yep, if in doubt, avoid red berries. It isn’t what your grocer told you but in the wild it’s pretty important. The second? Don’t eat anything the birds do not eat. Seems logical this lesson of the original American Indians.

And lastly, if your extremely curious here are the steps you take. Take the berry – break it and rub it gently across your lips. So that the juice gives you a bit of a koolaid smile. Then wait – go take a swim, a hike etc…. if in a half an hour you don’t feel a numbness, a small rash on your lips or feel any odd effects it is an edible plant.

That does not guarantee however that it’s a tasty plant… thus we move on to choke cherries. This one actually will actually make a horse sick. However it provides a haven for birds which they love to nest in. So for the bird photographer this is a fabulous place to wander through because they hang out in these bushes a lot.

Berry eating is a little like the mating game – it may be visually appealing but isn’t necessarily good to partake in. So, I’d personally avoid eating this berry. Usually an indicator of it being a choke cherry bush is the bag-o-worms that infest it right about the time that the berries pop out.

Onto the elderberry bush slash tree – I say it this way because most people would call this a tree.

This is a premature elderberry photo – the berries are just starting to form. About Sept. when they finish (at least ours) bloom into a dark bluish or purple color. (You can see a few on the photo in the back.) They are lovely and are pretty much all over the place in this area. They are also very loved and adored by the local deer. The deer meat in our area is fabulous to the pallet and I think it’s the elderberry bush that is to blame. I have tasted terrible deer meat in the past but from this area I enjoy it a lot more than beef. For you local (or visiting) hunters I would suggest looking at any elderberry tree during sunset.

Meanwhile, again this is a sour tasting berry – people have made it into wine for many a years. I think the high sugar content sweetens it up. It could be used in pies – as long as your generous with the sweetener. It is edible and have been used in medicinal products, wine, jelly and dye.

Here is a personal site with recipes.

http://members.aol.com/BLaneKY/elderberry.htm

I caught this photo on a windy day so forgive it’s fuzziness. I had mentioned previously that this is my daughter’s favorite berry because they can swim at the creek and save off hunger with these little beauties. These taste really fabulous and is adored by the bears in the area. (The bear photo I had put up earlier – he or she was sleeping in a thimble-berry bush.)

The thimble berry plant. In the spring it has large beautiful flowers (here is an example.)

In quick summary if you have a taste for it feel free to eat lightly the oregon grape, thimbleberries and elderberries but avoid the choke cherries. Okay I promise when more berries come out there will be a part two….

We have in the area huckleberries, snowberries, serviceberries and etc… I’ll atttempt to capture them as they come out on the bushes and trees in the area.

Also lastly all of these can be looked up online thru wikipedia or another source to ensure what I’m saying here. Peace.

Lori

Wikipedia Information on the;

Thimbleberry

Oregon Grape

Elderberry

Choke Cherry

My second page on Wild Berries

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Tags: Berries, Bisbee Mountain, Environment, Hunting, Kettle Falls, Kettle Falls Washington, Nature, Orient Washington, Rural, Washington, Washington State, Wildflowers, Wildlife