Scientific name: Rubus chamaemorus Taste: floral, tart, slightly sweet. Thanks to their many antioxidants , cloudberries are linked to strengthening bones, fighting anemia and detoxifying the body. Scientific name: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Taste: dry and bland when raw; sweeter when cooked. Health benefits: Though naturally found in arctic and subarctic zones around the globe, bearberries can be grown throughout the U. Ways to Use Them: Dry the leaves for tea, cook the berries down into sauce or add them to baked goods like muffins, cakes or scones.
Health benefits: Similar to black mulberries that resemble blackberries, red mulberries look like long raspberries. Their fiber content may help you maintain a healthy cholesterol level and digestive system, while their high amounts of iron and vitamin C could aid skin health, reduce your risk of heart disease and lower blood pressure. Tea made with mulberry leaves could also help lower blood sugar and reduce inflammation.
Scientific name: Capparis spinosa Taste: tangy, herbal, sharp. Health benefits: Capers are the pickled flower buds of the Mediterranean caper bush. Caperberries are rich in antioxidants, iron, calcium and vitamins A, B2 and K. They were used in ancient times as both medicine and an aphrodisiac. Health benefits: Chokeberries are one of the most bitter out there, thanks to their notable tannins. Some studies show that chokeberries are one of the best for cardiovascular health, and their antioxidants help reduce inflammation, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Scientific name: Prunus virginiana Taste: bitter, astringent, tart. Health benefits: Not to be confused with chokeberries, chokecherries are chock-full of disease-fighting antioxidants and flavonoids, as well as quinic acid, which is hailed for preventing urinary tract infections. Research shows that quinic acid is also linked to improved circulation and blood vessel function.
Native Americans used chokecherry tea to treat ailments like colds, tuberculosis and diarrhea, while the berries were eaten raw to aid digestion. Scientific name: Ribes rubrum Taste: tangy, tart, slightly sweet. Like black currants, red currants aid the immune and respiratory systems and are rich in fiber. Scientific name: Rubus flagellaris Taste: tart, slightly sweet, slightly bitter.
Health benefits: These wild black berries grow on long vines throughout the Pacific Northwest and taste similar to the blackberries you know and love, only more tart and bitter. They have significant amounts of vitamin A and C, magnesium, zinc and copper. This Will Be the Amazon Coat of Does Hand Sanitizer Work? We Ask Hamptons Chicago San Francisco. Connect With Us. Are you sure you want to remove this item from your Recipe Box?
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Although not a true berry, for many people blackberries are one of the tastiest berry fruits that they can eat. What is it that makes this dark-purple berry a super fruit? Similar to blueberries, blackberries are an amazing source of healthy antioxidants and vitamins. Blackberries contain a number of phenolic compounds and are rich in fiber and vitamin C. The best blackberries to eat are ones you pick in the wild. As with most black and purple berries, eating blackberries has a positive impact on your cardiovascular health.
In fact, compared to berries such as blueberries, cranberries, and red raspberries, blackberries are one of the healthiest berries you can eat. Raspberries are another berry-type of fruit that many people class as a super fruit with amazing health benefits. Red raspberries are popular summer berries that are packed full as vitamin C.
In fact, from all the fruits on the list of healthy berries, raspberries come out top in terms of dietary fiber. Consuming red raspberries has been linked to reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Did you know that there are other types of raspberries which may be even healthier for you than the red varieties? Black raspberries may look like blackberries but they are in fact a black variety of raspberry.
As you would expect from a black type of berry, they are rich in anthocyanins. Studies have shown that black raspberries varieties are good for lowering inflammation and cholesterol. They have even been linked to cancer prevention. Golden raspberries are an unusual type of golden berry with many health benefits. One rare type of raspberry is a variety of white raspberry. A hybrid fruit called an olallieberry is a dark type of berry that looks like a plump blackberry or black raspberry.
Being a variety of black berry-like fruit, olallieberries probably are high in anthocyanins. However, there is no information on its nutritional content.
Mulberries are berry-like fruits that look like long raspberries or blackberries and come in a variety of colors.
Mulberry varieties come in black, purple, red, and even white types of berries. Mulberries are a fairly sweet berry-type fruit that have a slightly astringent and tart taste. You can eat mulberries fresh, or you can use them in recipes as you would use blackberries or raspberries. Because mulberries are very fragile summer fruits, it is difficult to buy them fresh. You can buy these types of berries frozen or you can grow a mulberry tree in your garden.
The healthy nutrients in these berry fruits have been linked to improving cardiovascular health, helping to manage type 2 diabetes, and helping to prevent obesity. Serviceberries are types of berries that look like blueberries and have a purple color when mature. Botanically, serviceberries are pome fruits of the serviceberry trees and shrubs Amelanchier. Serviceberries are berry-type fruit that taste like sweet blueberries and are a popular ingredient for jams and jellies.
Serviceberry fruit. Left picture: mature purple serviceberry fruits. Right picture: immature red serviceberry fruits.
One of the most common ways of benefiting from this dark berry is to buy it in powder form. Goji berries are among the types of berries that are classed as superfoods. Also, the tart taste will be more or prominent in some varieties than others. Found in arctic and subarctic zones around the world, the bearberry produces red berries enjoyed by bears and humans alike. Native people gather the leaves of bearberry plants and use them as folk medicine. The purported health benefits of bearberries are manifold.
They provide relief from rheumatoid arthritis, gout, back pain, headaches, and kidney stones. They can be grown throughout the US.
Similar to blueberries, these flavorful berries grow wild throughout northern Europe. Europeans pick the wild berries for fresh eating, jams, and baked goods. Bilberry is an old cultivated form of blueberry. These bright orange berries grow on long trailing vines throughout New England. These types of berries are native to Europe and Asia but have been naturalized in North America.
Blackberries grow wild throughout the Pacific Northwest and the South. These plants prefer moist, fertile soil and mild winters. Studies have found that blackberries protect against LDL-oxidation, a prominent cardiovascular risk factor. New varieties of blackberries are more cold hardy. Sweet, juicy blueberries are used for fresh eating, or in sauces and baked goods.
Unfortunately, blueberries require acidic soil with a pH between 4. If you have alkaline soil, you will need to amend it or grow your blueberries in containers. The blueberries are types of berries with the highest antioxidant content. Like blackberries, blueberries are also found to protect against LDL oxidation. You may confuse saskatoon berries with blueberries, as they look similar.
One way to tell one from the other is to know that saskatoon berries are softer and more reddish in color. The black mulberry grows only in warm climates, south of zone 7, but is a favorite fruit among Southern cooks. Boysenberries are developed in the s by crossing raspberries, blackberries, and loganberries. Walter Knott grew the berries at his farm and his wife made the sweet fruit into preserves. Buffalo berry grows wild throughout the Great Plains region.
The plant produces large, red fruit suitable for eating dried or in baked goods. If one eats them raw, however, they can cause diarrhea. The berries grow lush bushes and are resilient plants that can thrive in marginal soils. Bunchberry trees produce red clusters of fruit in northern regions of North America. These fruits are bland tasting and better left for the birds. Caperberry is a perennial plant with fleshy leaves and white to pinkish flowers.
The caper is the flower bud, and the caperberry is the fruit. Chokeberry shrubs are often used as landscape plants because they do well in the shade. The fruit is acerbic but makes good wine and preserves. Aronia helps lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, and improves iron metabolism. Learn more. The chokecherry grows wild throughout many parts of the west but can be homegrown as well.
Use this tart fruit in jams and syrups. This tree or shrub grows throughout the coldest regions of North America and can thrive in harsh conditions of the Arctic Circle. It produces yellow, bland fruit. Cloudberries can be found in Canada and some parts of Maine. Yet, these types of berries are a staple for Scandinavian foragers. Cowberries grow wild throughout northern Europe and Canada. They produce tart red fruit, like cranberries, and are used in baked goods and preserves. Cooks appreciate cranberries for their tart, astringent flavor.
This is both inside and outside the Thanksgiving occasion. They are wetland fruits that prefer acidic soil, and a long growing season. One of the most common uses of cranberry is in the form of cranberry juice. The juice helps reduce plaque build-up in your arteries and helps with weight loss. Currants thrive in regions with cool, moist conditions. The small, round fruits may be translucent white, red, or purple and have a rich, tart flavor. Plant your currants at least three feet apart and maintain them with regular pruning.
Read more on how to grow currents. Black wild berries that grow on long, creeping vines. These plants grow prolifically throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Similar to currants, elderberries are dark red to purple and make fine wine and preserves. Grow this plant in cool, moist regions with cold winters. They ripen in early to mid-September in the northeast. The West Coasters however can harvest them as early as June. A relative of blueberries, farkleberry grows wild throughout the Midwest. The black berries are relatively tasteless, although birds and wildlife enjoy them.
Similar to common blackberry, but the fruit is larger and sweeter. It grows across many different wild habitats but is also cultivated in the gardens. Bright red goji berries are native to China and the Himalayas.
They have been heralded as a superfood , high in antioxidants. Goji berries contain nutrients important for eye health, like vitamin A and zeaxanthin.
They helped prevent eye health deterioration in a group of elderly people. So, home growing is a good alternative to have your own fresh goji berries. This thorny plant produces tart, green berries used in pies and preserves. Gooseberries thrive in cool areas and prefer rich, moist soils. Gooseberries have acidic taste when green but develop a rich, smooth flavor as they ripen.
They resemble currents but people often prefer gooseberries in pies or jams. Grapes are botanically classified as berries. Table grapes are used fresh and may be red, green, or black. Small, seeded types have an aromatic flavor and are used for juices and wines.
Hackberry comes from many types of trees of the Celtis genus. The hackberry tree can grow up to 80 — feet in height. It has purple skin with a tiny nut inside and is an edible berry. Bright, red berries that grow on evergreen holly shrubs. Although they make for a perfect Christmas decoration , the holly berries are toxic to eat. Huckleberries grow wild throughout the Pacific Northwest. They thrive in the cool, moist conditions found in woodland settings. They are similar to blueberries and are delicious fresh, or in jams and baked goods.
This shrub is native to the Pacific Northwest, west of the Cascade Mountains. Native Americans consumed the Indian Plum in dried and cooked form. They also used it for treating tuberculosis. Grown as ornamentals, the plant grows small purple to black berries.
It can climb up to 98 feet high on vertical surfaces. Birds often feed on the berries, but the plant is poisonous for humans. This plant tolerates harsh conditions, growing wild throughout much of North America.
It is used as a landscaping plant, although the fruit is good to eat, somewhat similar to blueberries. Junipers produce dusty blue berries that resemble blueberries. This bush plant belongs to the cypress family of Cupressaceae. The indigenous people used the berries as a traditional medicine for diabetes. They used burning juniper as part of their folkloric rites. Juniper berries are also used for making Gin. This cross between a raspberry and a blackberry has a distinct taste.
Grow loganberry as you would blackberries. The parasitic mistletoe plant produces small, glutinous, white berries in winter. Stems, leaves, and berries are all toxic when ingested.
Celtic Druids considered mistletoe a symbolic plant because of its hardiness during the winter months. Fast forward to the 18th century, the herb was introduced into Christmas celebrations. This plant grows wild in northern woodlands and marshes. The berry resembles chokecherries in appearance and taste. Use it in syrups and preserves. Oregon grapes grow well in a variety of soils and are used primarily as a landscaping shrub. The small, purple fruits are tart, but are eaten fresh or made into wine or preserves.
Oregon grape root is used to treat diarrhea, constipation, and gallbladder disease. Like tomatoes, persimmon is botanically classified as a berry. It has a tart taste and slightly mealy texture. All parts of the plant are toxic.
The berries lack the star at the base of the fruit found on blueberries and have a glossy purple-red sheen. Small purple or black berries that grow on evergreen or semi-evergreen flowering shrubs or hedges. Privet is used as food for birds and also by some larvae species such as Lepidoptera.
These larvae are used for weed control because of their propensity to feed on one single crop. Raspberries are cold-hardy and long-lived. They produce sweet, flavorful fruit suitable for fresh eating, sauces, and preserves. Plant raspberries in fertile soil and provide at least one inch of water weekly. Prune them once a year and protect them from rabbit damage. Black raspberries are native to western North America.
They grow as north as Alaska to as south as California. Black raspberries have a hollow center, just like the thimble-like fruits of red raspberries. Learn more about how to grow raspberries in your home garden. Red mulberry trees are native to many parts of the United States.
They produce fruit similar to blackberries. The fruit is highly perishable and leaves a mess on sidewalks and hard surfaces. Salmonberry is a perennial plant native to Alaska and Canada. The orange or red fruit resemble raspberries and are eaten fresh or in preserves.
Salmonberries are rich in polyphenols. This makes them effective against indigestion, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Seaberry grows in the temperate and sub-arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
It was naturalized in Canada in the s. Snowberry is present all across the northern United States and the Canadian provinces. Homegrown strawberries have little in common with those found in grocery stores. Grow strawberries in fertile, moist soil and full sun. Strawberries are top-ranked for its antioxidant content. The berries have potent cancer-fighting properties and protect against heart disease. If you opt to grow strawberries , start small.
Strawberry runners tend to branch out on their own and begin new plants. Sugarberry trees grow throughout the Southern United States and produce yellow or orange fruits loved by birds and insects.
This hybrid cross between a loganberry and a black raspberry produces sweet, red fruit. It grows in moist, fertile soil and is more frost hardy than blackberries. A wild cousin of cultivated raspberries, thimbleberries grow from Alaska to northern Mexico. Use them fresh or in jams.
They are softer and more perishable than raspberries and rarely sold commercially. White mulberry trees were brought from China to the U. S in the s to establish a silk industry here. The caterpillars feed off the leaves of these trees. The fruit is bland and unpalatable to humans.
This wild raspberry grows throughout New England and is considered an invasive plant. The fruits are soft and tart. They resemble raspberries in taste but are more juicy and acidic. They can be mistaken for red and black raspberries, ball of these are edible. This plant grows on creeping vines throughout Canada and the northern United States. The berries have an acerbic taste that improves with freezing. Yew berries are red berries found on evergreen shrubs.
The cones are light red and open at the end. All parts of the plant are toxic, while consuming leaves can be lethal. Byrnes M. Young introduced this hybrid cross between a dewberry and a blackberry in All types of berries have that in common. These natural agents will have strong effects on the long term health of berries.
Take extra care with strawberries since they can spread out of control and endanger other crops. Frankie Flowers , a gardening expert, shares insider tips on how to grow different types of berries, from raspberries and blackberries to white strawberries. The world of berries extends far beyond the few commonly grown or found in grocery stores. Many berries that grow wild are safe to eat.
Yet be sure to consult a field guide to accurately identify any berry before you consume it. Berries resembling blackberries and raspberries are often safe, as are wild strawberries. They more or less look like cultivated raspberry fruits, though generally smaller. There are literally hundreds of edible rubus species besides the best known species, blackberry, and raspberry. This low-growing rubus species carpets woodlands in the northern half of the US and all of Canada Range Map , and though each plant only sends up a single flower and produces a single berry, they grow in colonies covering large areas of ground.
They go by a lot of names…plumboy, red blackberry, dwarf red blackberry, dwarf red raspberry or the most confusing…dewberry, which is the common name for a number of other rubus species. Dewberry seems to be the catch-all name for all low-growing raspberry-like or blackberry-like fruits. Roses produce more than just beautiful flowers, they also produce edible fruit. Wild roses, in particular, are a good choice because domestic roses tend to be a chemical-laden crop. Wild roses, on the other hand, are incredibly vigorous and some are even considered invasive.
Native to the pacific northwest, salal berries are a niche regional treat. The fruit are quite sweet, but mealy. Indigenous peoples mashed them into cakes, and commonly mixed them with other fruits such as oregon grape. Oregon grapes are tart, but have a better texture, so the two make a good combination. Salal berry leaves are also medicinal, and according to my friend Colleen who writes about foraging salal :. Salal leaves have historically been used medicinally by Native Americans for a range of things, including respiratory ailments, digestion, and as a poultice.
Yet another edible rubus species similar to raspberries, salmonberries have a striking color crazy looking texture, that more or less looks like bunches of salmon eggs. Salmonberries are quite tart, and they have very large seeds bitter than other related species.
Here in Vermont, the plants blossom right around our last frost date, when the soil can be reliably worked and the garden planted. The flavor is out of this world, like a blueberry on steroids and by far my favorite of any wild foraged fruit. There are many different species of saskatoon, and with species mostly differentiated by region, but various kinds are found in most parts of the US and Canada. Beyond those found in the wild, serviceberries are often planted in ornamental plantings, especially in the Northeastern US.
Also known as sea berries, this bright orange wild berry is native to Eastern Europe. Permaculturists love it because sea buckthorn is a nitrogen-fixing shrub, which means it can grow on marginal soils and improves them in the process.
In fact, it is actually listed as an invasive species in a few places. Finally, they all turn a brilliant red when they fully ripen.
The fruits are just a small amount of sweet flesh around a large white seed, so yields are low but definitely worth it in my book. Modern cultivated strawberries had to come from somewhere, and usually, domestication means improvements in yield, size, and taste. In the case of wild strawberries , the fruits got bigger and yields heavier…but at the expense of taste.
Wild strawberries are intensely flavored and pack all the flavor of those massive grocery store strawberries into a tiny, intense package. As you might imagine, fruit size varies greatly across individual plants, which is what allowed for selective breeding in the first place. Also known as checkerberry, boxberry, or American wintergreen, this spreading groundcover produces bright red fruits late in the fall. They have a distinctive wintergreen flavor, which is incredibly refreshing in the woods.
The foliage is used to make wintergreen ice cream too. Western species R. The fruit is pulpy, and tastes almost exactly like a raisin. They tend to wrinkle as they ripen, increasing the raisin resemblance.
Wild raisins are a member of the viburnum family, and like nannyberry and hobbleberry, they contain a large flat seed. The plants prefer shade and wet, almost swampy soils. They can be found growing near drainage ditches, river floodplains and along pond edges.
Or, sometimes just along a trail edge in a wet climate like ours here in the Northeast…. Besides the abundance of wild fruits available, there are also wild nuts, seeds, and greens. While fruits are the most inviting to our palates, there are many other types of wild foods available for harvest year-round.
Be sure to positively identify any plant before consuming, as the risk of inadvertently eating a poisonous plant is very real. Enjoyed your list! Just adding that there are native prickly pear cactus growing in a few locations in southern Ontario and also in southern British Columbia.
Also another Amelanchier name story. Great roundup of edible berries and fruits. This motivates me to get out and start rambling around my local area. When i was a kid we had a bush with most fragrant pale yellow flowers. They were delicious. Can you help me identify it? My first guess is maybe checkout oregon grape? They have yellow flowers and purple-ish fruit.
The only thing matching your description that I know of in Vermont is maybe Honeyberry? This was pretty neat to read. I have a few to add to your list and I believe they are all berries found in the north : lingonberry, watermelon berry, nagoonberry. Ashley — Thanks so much for all of this information.
Please do write a book! I am using several, but still often have concerns about identifying berries in particular. Must look out on our next foraging outing.
Take care, stay healthy. Ashley, I harvest the elderberry that grow wild on my 10 acres. There is a vine that can creep up into the elderberry tree that looks very similar to the elderberry, in that the berries are extremly similar with red bracks. The onlly difference is that they are on a vine.
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