Foraging
Welcome to my Foraging page!
I’m a newbie forager and started doing this because I saw so many berries growing around. I whipped out my plant app and took some pictures only to discover they were edible ( ˶°ㅁ°)!! What! Free food? It’s like winning the lottery. So I decided to make a visual gallery of my findings. If you somehow find yourself here then feel free to peruse around and check out my little gallery:)
Disclaimer: I would like to preface by saying this page is only to share my experiences and not to instruct others on what is and isn’t edible. I am not a professional nor an expert. If you are interested in foraging all the wonderful things this planet has to offer then please do your own research beforehand.
Be cautious, be careful, and be safe!
Shortcuts
Here are the shortcuts to the different sections for those who don’t want to scroll through even though scrolling is worth it.
Red huckleberry
Oval-leafed blueberry
Pacific blackberry
Whitebark raspberry
Yew berry
European cranberry bush
Nootka rose hips
Baldhip rose
Madrone berries
Strawberry tree
Hooker’s Fairybell berries
Rose twisted stalk berries
Cornelian cherries
Callery pears
My Favorite Little Precious Berries
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This one is the Red Huckleberry! My favorite of all the berries to pick. I love how delicate the leaves are and the way the fruit grows like little bells is the darnest cutest thing I have ever seen. She is a beaut ❤️🥰
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This one is the Oval-Leafed Blueberry/Huckleberry. I honestly don’t know the difference. I’d rather call it a huckleberry because it resembles the red huckleberry more than a blueberry. This girl loves the mountains.
Thimbleberry
Look at this pretty little red thang. That, my friends, is a Thimbleberry! I’m sure many people know of the fruit and also grew up with it. I only recently came across it a few months ago since I didn’t live in an area where they could grow. I actually didn’t live in an area with any berries at all, but I could be very wrong about that. Perhaps I just never looked.
I think this berry has the most different taste out of all the berries. I’m honestly not a fan. It doesn’t taste bad, but it’s flavor is…potent. Super strong! I love the way they feel though. So soft and bright. If you stack too many then end up smashing and turning into mush very quickly. I wish I collected more because they would’ve made a nice jam!
The colorful Salmonberry. I’ve found the orange/yellow ones to be the best and the sweetest. Too many red herrings with the red ones, but maybe I choose the sour ones. I read online that they got their name because they look like salmon eggs, but I also read that it’s because their color is similar to a salmon’s. No idea which one is true or maybe both are true. Still cool either way!
Salmonberry
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The Pacific Blackberry. They grow all along the forest floor, but I didn’t pick too many since they weren’t really screaming for attention like the other berries.
More Bulbous Berries
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Whitebark Raspberry/Blue Raspberry. I only found them once, but I’m sure I would have found more had I ventured out more. Oh well!
The lovely Yew berry is in the left/top and middle photos. The lovely European cranberry bush can be seen in the right/bottom photo. I was so happy to find some yew berries simply because the seeds can kill you! The fruit itself is edible, but absolutely not the seeds so I didn’t try them. I only wanted to feel their texture and they are quite gooey. As for the European cranberry on the right, I picked a few to try, but I did read that they are mildly toxic in large quantities. I also read that they aren’t very tasty so…
Poisonous(ish) Berries
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This is a rose hip from the Nootka Rose plant. They weren’t quite ripe yet in this photo, but I picked a few later on and made a jam out of them. What a hassle! Not a whole lot of meat compared to the number of seeds. I’ll stick with making tea instead.
Rose Hips
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I believe this one is a Baldhip Rose, but don’t quote me on that. That’s what my app said. I meant to go pick more to see since I only opened one and there weren’t hairy seeds inside. That wasn’t from the plant in this photo though so maybe I picked something entirely different.
During the fall season, Madrone berries start to ripen. I don’t know how to explain the flavor, but to me they’re bland like a bland dragon fruit. The skin is thick and a little waxy like an orange peel, but less shiny. I think they’re interesting.
Bland Berries
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This little red guy is the fruit from a Strawberry tree. I believe they’re native to Europe and are grown all over the world. The flavor isn’t the strongest, but the fruit is still sweet and yummy in my opinion. I’d throw down on them.
Hooker’s Fairybell. I read that they are edible but I guess most people don't like it. I was more intrigued by the color, but I wasn’t all that interested in trying it.
Other Berries & Fruit!
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Rose Twisted Stalk. They’re edible but don't eat too many since they can be a laxative? I have no idea, but they had such a pretty color and shine!
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Cornelian Cherry tree. I found it outside a mochi donut shop. The fruit is extremely tart unless you pick the ones that already fell off. If you pick this fruit I recommend using gloves. I couldn’t find any information about the little hairs on the leaves and fruit, but they were scratching my hand and irritating my skin bad.
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Callery Pear tree. I've read that they're not very tasty and it’s better to cook them down. I assume they may be similar to the way you prepare jackfruit or breadfruit. I saw it walking through a neighborhood. I didn't wanna pick the fruit because I worried someone might come out saying "Get off my lawn!" ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)
