Wild Berry Identification

Wild berry identification has served many a backpacker, hiker, or walker by providing easy access to edible wild fruits. It’s important that novices to wild food foraging consult a good guidebook or take lessons from a knowledgeable expert before picking and consuming wild fruits. Some berries that grow on shrubs, for example, are poisonous, so do your homework before embarking on your first foraging trip, and when in doubt, don't eat it.

Blackberries can be harvested in the wild

Getting started identifying wild berries is fairly easy. You’re more likely to find them in rural areas, parks, and protected areas in the United States, but even bustling Central Park in New York City yields some edibles for the keen observer.

One way to get started in the wide world of food foraging is to take a class with an expert. Even in New York City’s Central Park, Steve Brill, one of the nation’s experts in foraging for food, leads tours to show city residents wild edible plants. For those who are nervous about choosing the wrong edible berries, or those who learn best by doing under the watchful eye of a seasoned veteran, finding a class makes it easy to begin your foraging adventure.

Check the following resources to find a class or instructor:

• Park rangers and park programs: From national parks to state parks, many parks offer ranger-led tours on wild berry identification. Experts will show you which berries are safe to eat and which to leave alone. Check your local parks office or the park headquarters of a national park to learn if such tours are offered.
• State university systems: Many state university systems, especially those with agricultural and horticultural programs, offer night classes, weekend classes and other times when fun, short day trips and classes are available. Check with your state university system, either through their website or your local campus, to learn if courses are offered.
• State cooperative extension services: Many state cooperative extension offices also offer locally based courses on foraging and food identification.

Anyone who wants to learn about edible plants would do well to invest in a guidebook with color photographs. Some guide books to try include:

• Peterson’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants – these come in many editions, each specific to a region of North America. Pages include color plates for easy identification, habitat and growth information, and much more to help you correctly identify wild edibles.
• The aforementioned Steve Brill has also authored an identification book, Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicine Plants in the Wild.

Try your local bookstore for guidebooks specific to your area.

Some berries are easy to spot in the wild, while others may be a bit more difficult. The following berries may be found in most of the United States. Some berries, like the acai berry, grow wild, but only in South America.

Wild blackberries grow at the side of many rural lanes, fields, and clearings. The shrubby plants have thorny canes and white flowers in the springtime. The berries appear anywhere from May in the south to June and July in more northern climates. Wait until the berries turn black before harvesting. Many people mistake the wild blackberry for wild raspberries, and try eating the fruits while they’re still red. Pucker up, because they are intensely sour before they turn black. Even when they darken, wild blackberries are more sour than their commercially grown counterparts are. Enjoy them fresh or in fruit salad, yogurt, or as a topping for pancakes or waffles.

Throughout Maine and some parts of New England, wild blueberries abound. Blueberries grow on low shrubs with oval shaped leaves. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension provides an entire website devoted to the wild blueberry.

Wild strawberries are easy to spot, because they look so much like their store-bought counterpart, only smaller. The plants grow wild, usually on the edges of fields or clearings, and have smaller fruits than the commercial kind. The fruits, however, provide superior taste and are well worth the hunt.

Always be sure that you’re harvesting an edible berry by comparing it to a guidebook or getting guidance from an experienced forager. Be cautious when foraging berries in parks or rural areas. Berries aren’t just sweet treats for humans. Bears love berries, and during berry season you may encounter bears near berry patches. Usually, the sound of human voices is enough to scare them away, so bring a companion and talk to warn bears of your presence, or if alone, sing or speak aloud to make noise to alert bears of your presence. And never trespass on someone’s property to forage. Not only is it illegal, but you’re taking berries away from their foraging trips!

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