Nannyberries, Viburnum lentago

The leaves are falling from the trees. Not a great time for foragers, but there are a few good finds this month.

On a recent walk in Tuckahoe State Park, I came across from nannyberries, I think this is Viburnum lentago, particularly due to the opposite leaves and bright reddish colored stems. Viburnums are scattered on the edge of the woods, displaying clusters of petite white flowers in the late spring.

The fruit is a dark purple to black, usually in little clusters. The fruit is a drupe, which means they have one seed surrounded by the soft fruit tissue. I find the seeds a little bitter, so I chew a handful of berries and spit out the seeds.




The taste is mildly raisin-like. Slightly sweet and with a not-unpleasant grainy texture, similar to dates.

Also fruiting is pokeweed, so be sure to identify any plant with 100% certainty.

Happy Trails!

About

About Demeter's Dish



Join me on a quest to identify as many plants as possible! Hikers, backpackers, and other sportsman who spend time roaming around can boost nutrition while on the trail. I also make wine and jelly with wild edibles, so we'll look at wild food in the kitchen, too!

We can identify plants year round. Winter will be quite paltry, but we can still do some identification. If you live East of the Rockies, north of Florida and south of New England, then you should be able to find the same plants within a week or two of when I post them.
 

Please only use this as an introductory guide. Anyone thinking of foraging for wild food must identify with absolute, 100%, certainty before trying even a nibble! Plants are food, medicine, and poison. Be sure of what you eat!! You should identify a plant with three different guides before eating.

 

About Me

 

 

 

 

I LOVE hiking and backpacking, and also finding wild edibles. Connecting with nature helps to reset my batteries. I always say there is not a problem that can't be fixed by an hour in the woods. I lead hikes and backpacking trips with a local meetup group, and love taking new backpackers into the wilderness. Life is too short to sit around, so I am determined to get out, have fun, and make memories!



Favorite Links

Here are a few links I recommend! Enjoy

DC Backpackers Meetup:  A Meetup group is a great way to connect with fellow backpackers. This group is very dynamic simply because DC is such a melting pot of different cultures and professions. The group is comprised from college kids looking for weekend fun, to young professionals new to the area wanting to meet people, to retired workers just out for a weekend in the woods.


Roaring Plains October, 2013 with DC Backpackers

Earth Connection School of Wilderness Survival:  Tim MacWelch offers a variety of classes geared toward survival and bushcrafting.  Classes are held at his property in the Fredericksburg, VA area.

Nature Wonder Wild Food Weekend:  This annual event is held at North Bend State Park in WV every September.  Sample wild foods, attend lectures and a wild food walk, and meet more of "our people" :-)

Eat the Weeds Newsletter and Forum:  Green Deane is a fabulous resource, and has a great newsletter that I highly recommend subscribing to, as well as a forum for foragers to connect.  The plants are geared more for Florida/ Southeast U.S. but I often see Mid-Atlantic plants listed.

Wild Food Adventures by Dr John Kallas: The author of a foraging book I highly recommend (and available in Digital form, Dr Kallas holds classes in Oregon.  I haven't attended his classes, but his lecture at the 2012 Nature Wonder Weekend was very informative.

Calvatia cyathaformis, purple-spored puffball.mp4

Puffball mushrooms (Calvatia species) are great for the beginner mycophile (like me!)  They grow like crazy in yards and grassy areas in the Mid-Atlantic from September to late October. When you see one, snap it up quickly, as they grow large within days and spore just as quickly.  Please make sure to cut any puffball open to make sure a "baby" mushroom is not growing inside.  That is baaad!





Calvatia giganteus on the Appalachian Trail, Harper's Ferry, WV

On a hike last year, I found a huge white puffball on the side of the Appalachian Trail near Harper's Ferry, WV.  Here is my daughter holding the Calvatia giganteus.

Make sure you have 100% positive identification first!!

Happy hiking and eating!