Foraging: Wineberry

One of the joys of summer is picking perfectly delicious ruby red wineberries from hedges and forests. These invasive berries will be ready for you soon. Hurry and pick some before the birds eat them and spread the invasive seeds to new areas!

Identification:

Leaves:

opposite, toothed leaves, one side is silvery/white, the other is green

Berries:

ruby red berries, they resemble raspberries. When you pick a berry, they leave an orange core on the plant, similar to picking a raspberry

Stem:

Reddish-thorny stem (also called a cane)

Growth and habitat:

They love to live along edges and in forests, they form dense, prickly patches.

Where to pick:

Make sure you have permission to forage, many local preserves do not want you to get off the trail and pick plants, so be mindful! A backyard is a great place. It is important that you do not pick from an area that is sprayed with herbicides (eg, not near landscaping), away from major roads, and away from frequent dog walking areas (you don’t want to eat dog pee, yuck!)

How to pick it:

Pick super beautiful ruby red berries, they will simply fall off into your hand when they are ready. Wineberries feel a bit sticky when harvested and are very thorny so be careful.