Raspberries are known as an aggregate fruit or compound berry meaning that it is composed of many parts. These small globes of juice form the berry wall. A distinctive structure or identifier of a raspberry is that once the berry is pulled off the stem it leaves behind the inner core and when you invert the berry for inspection there is a hollow center.

A few days later I was visiting a sweet eighty-something lady who on occasion tells me about her days growing up in the mountains of Northwest North Carolina. As a child she and her siblings would go out into the woods and gather various edibles of which raspberries were included. She said that they collected three types: yellow, red, and black. They would have to wait until they were ripe before collecting them yet before the other neighbor children would beat them to the patch.

The large cluster of berries shown in the photo are not yet ripe and will increase in size and darken when ripe. You can see compound leaves of three that are jagged edged and when you inspect one it will reveal a silver-gray underside. It is also interesting to note that the leaves can be collected to make tea and has been medicinally used for a variety of treatments… most notably for feminine reproductive system health but is also considered a good tonic herb with a rich supply of vitamins and minerals.

As a side note… most compound berries are known to be edible and are generally a safe bet for consumption. These might include raspberries, black berries, mulberries, boysenberrys, dewberries, and thimbleberries to name a few. If in doubt, it’s always good to seek the advice of local experienced naturalists or herbalists who are in the know.

Persimmon trees often are found at the edge of the woods and I have seen them often in conjunction with conifers. Many times I’ve discovered their ripened fruit on the ground only to look up and to see the bounty above. Most animals love to eat them so it’s not uncommon to see their large seeds in animal scat during this season.

Their color is often a dull pinkish-orange and as they ripen they become darker in color. When they are mushy to feel and slightly transparent they are ripe to eat. When ripe they are sweet, but when unripe they can make your mouth pucker up. A friend once asked me “how can you tell when persimmons are ripe? Hand one to your friend and tell them to take a bite!”

There is also a folktale associated with their ability to forecast the coming Winter’s weather. If you crack open their seeds edgewise they will reveal an interesting image of a spoon, knife, or fork which translates as follows:

SPOON = lots of snow (like a shovel to clear many snowfalls)
KNIFE = cold winter (like a pick for breaking ice off the top of livestock water troughs)
FORK = a long winter (like a pitchfork for bringing cattle lots of hay until grass emerges)

Some folks will harvest the whole lot of persimmons from a tree which includes both ripe and unripe fruit. They will pick out the ripe ones and ripen the remainder by placing them in a plastic bag along with an apple or two because the apples release ethylene gas that expedites ripening.

The persimmon pulp is often used to make jams and preserves but I enjoy eating them right off of the tree. It adds to the outdoor experience and is a delight when wildcrafting in the woods.

This week he discovered several “Hen of the woods” at the base of an oak tree. He explained that when they are harvested by cutting the base they can regenerate for multiple future harvests.

A few weeks ago he shared about “Chicken of the woods” and so now I can tell the difference between the “Chicken” and the “Hen” of the woods. The “Chicken” is very colorful with scalloped lobes whereas the “Hen” is a moderate brown with round lobes.

At the end of the day I was able to share the “Hen” with a group of friends who had gathered for a “Stone Soup” dinner. I presented the mushroom in it’s original form for display and educational purposes but also a portion was added to the soup. It was well received with bits and pieces being tasted off the display piece, and of course comments on it’s beauty too.

If you plan on exploring the world of mushrooms and fungi be sure to connect with an expert in the field who can positively identify your finds and teach you what is safe to eat and what is not.

Chicken Of The Woods

The Chicken-Of-The-Woods is so colorful! A friend contacted me with his find so that I was able to photograph it before being harvested. He explained that this mushroom was edible when grown on a hard wood base whereas if it were grown on a conifer it is considered inedible. He also mentioned that a small percent of folks (2-3%) could have gastric difficulties when digesting it so initially it would be a good idea to eat a small prepared portion before consuming more. Fortunately I am not in that category! I sautéed mine in butter and yum!

Puffball

These are two of the classic “Foolproof Four” easily identified edible mushrooms as cited in the article “Mushroom Collecting 101” posted by saveourskills.com. This list includes Puffballs, Chicken of the woods, Morel, and Chanterelle. These 4 mushrooms are named because they are very easy to identify and they do not have many poisonous look-a-likes.

I am grateful to have a friend that has experience and expertise in this field. I recommend that you find someone in your area with the same credentials or locate a local mushrooming club to learn more and have a source for positive identification. It is a fascinating and rewarding field of study and I hope to share more of my discoveries in future articles.

Acorns need to have the outer shell removed with the nut body finely chopped for leaching by soaking in a bowl of water. The acorn meal is strained, rinsed, and re-soaked. This process is repeated several times over the course of a twenty-four hour period. I enjoy adding the acorn meal to cornmeal in a 1:1 ratio with an egg to make delicious fried patties.

Grapes of course are edible straight away. You can tell when they reach the peak of their season when you see some that have fallen on the ground below the vine.

Puffball fungus is much like a stiff marshmallow in appearance. It’s solid white all the way through. If you find one that has begun to turn black inside, discard it as unfit for consumption. You can eat one raw but I prefer it sliced and sautéed in butter. There are other fungi that emerge at this time, especially after a long period of rain. When seeking fungus to eat it is advisable to confirm it’s identity by a local expert as some fungus can be fatal.

These are just a few examples of edibles that I found this week but hopefully this will inspire you to explore the Great Outdoors with a new awareness of the edibles that abound around us.

In a previous article “Bloomin’ Cattails” I described how the male portion containing pollen grows on the top of the stalk and the seed bearing portion that we often associate with “hotdogs” grows below it. Pollen is one of the numerous cattail parts that are edible so I decided to take a sample home to photograph after I shook out some pollen in order to show it’s bright yellow color and volume.

Since that previous article I’ve met folks who have told me that during this time of year you can also eat the seed portion as well, just like you would eat corn-on-the-cob so I had to try it. Sure enough, it was similar to biting off bits of baby-ear corn. It’s a bit chewy and rather bland but that makes it quite palatable to the novice wildcrafter.

I’ve also been told that the seed portion can also be prepared by frying in butter or bacon fat so I guess that will be NEXT on my edibles to-do list. Please leave a comment if you have experience in eating cattail blossoms and share any cooking techniques that you may have used.