THE HARVEST:
Freeze the berries on a cookie sheet, then pour them into a quart bag. Vacuum seal the bag and stick it back in the freezer.
Most young black raspberry canes have a bluish-white waxy bloom that can be rubbed off.
Black Walnut
RANGE:
Native to 35 states and southern Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec
HABITAT:
Rich bottomland soils of stream valleys
POSITIVE ID:
• The black walnut tree has alternate, pinnately-compound leaves 1–2′ long with 15–23 leaflets.
• Yellow-green, 1-1/2–3″ round fruit consists of a nut encased by a fleshy husk.
• When broken open and exposed to air, the husk flesh color changes from a yellowish white to dark brown.
• The brown nut has a corrugated surface.
Close-up of a black walnut tree showing a cluster of its tennis ball-like fruit (walnuts) and the long compound leaves. A leaf can be up to 24″ long and may have from 15 to 23 leaflets. The terminal or end leaflet is often missing. Because walnuts may be high in the tree, foragers typically wait until they drop to the ground in October to collect them.
EDIBLE PARTS & PREPARATION:
Put on dishwashing gloves or equivalent to avoid staining your hands. Step on the green husk with a boot and twist your foot to pop the nut loose. Pull off clinging husk pieces, then rinse and brush or power wash the walnuts. Dry indoors on a tarp in front of a fan for two days. Let ripen and dry for two more weeks (no fan). Crack with a vise or hammer and use a nutpick to remove large pieces of the edible nutmeat. The strong flavor of black walnuts is perfect in brownies and ice cream (see Cinnamon Black Walnut Ice Cream recipe, page 137).
WHEN TO HARVEST:
October
SUSTAINABLE HARVESTING:
Collecting walnuts from the ground does not harm trees.
PRESERVING THE HARVEST:
Huskless, unshelled black walnuts may be stored at room temperature for two years. Extracted nutmeats are high in fats and oils that can turn rancid at room temperature, so they are best kept frozen. If vacuum-sealed first, they will last in the freezer for three years.
Left: walnut with tennis-ball like husk. Right: walnut with husk removed, then power washed. The brown nutshell has a corrugated surface.
Blueberry & Huckleberry
RANGE:
Widespread throughout the United States and Canada
HABITAT:
Many habitats, from wetlands to mountaintops. Best in sunny locations.
POSITIVE ID:
• Bush grows from 1–8′ tall with 1-1/2–3″ long, alternate, elliptical leaves.
• The pendant, bellshaped flowers are white and fragrant.
• Berries are powder blue to blue or black when ripe, except for the red huckleberry, whose berries are red to orange.
• Five-pointed starshaped pattern is on the bottom of the berry, a remnant of the blossom.
• Berries typically grow in clusters.
• Ripe berries are juicy, with a pleasantly sweet, mildly tart flavor.
Knee to waist-high blueberry bushes were a welcome sight as my sister Lynn and I hiked in the mountains of North Carolina. A handful of blueberries provided a thirst-quenching treat and an energy boost.
EDIBLE PARTS & PREPARATION:
The berries are edible raw and make a delicious, energy-filled and thirst-quenching nibble – a wonderful trail treat when hiking. Dried leaves make a decent tea. The flowers, if you should be lucky enough to be present when blooming, are a floral taste treat. See page 144 for the Double-Good Blueberry Pie recipe.
WHEN TO HARVEST:
Spring for flowers; mid to late summer for berries. Leaves throughout the season
SUSTAINABLE HARVESTING:
Don’t damage the bushes when picking. Leave some berries for birds and other animals. Birds will help spread the patch.
PRESERVING THE HARVEST:
Freeze a single layer of berries on a baking sheet, then pour them into a freezing container with a screw-top lid. Label with a date and use within a year for the best flavor. Berries can also be dehydrated. I’ve not tried drying and saving the leaves, but if you do, I’d suggest using them within a year so that the flavor isn’t lost.
On a family camping trip in the Mt. Hood River Valley east of Portland, Liz – my Oregon sister – introduced me to mountain huckleberries. These grew on bushes from five to seven feet tall.
Burdock, Common
RANGE:
Widespread and invasive in the U.S. (except Texas and Florida), and the southern provinces of Canada
HABITAT:
Barnyards, pastures, open woods, sunny patches along trails
POSITIVE ID:
• Burdock is a weed with large rhubarb-like leaves. The underside of the leaf is covered with a thin, woolly mat of fine white hairs. Leaf petioles may be reddish to purplish at the base.
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