Wild Edible Berries
Wild berries are one of the most important traditional Northwest Coastal Foods. Many families
called summer “berry picking season” and traveled to harvest and dry berries for later use. There
are many types of wild edible berries in Western Washington including:
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Cranberry
Current
Elderberry
Gooseberry
Hawthorn
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Huckleberry
Salal
Salmonberry
Serviceberry
Soapberry
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Thimbleberry
Wild blackberry
Wild cherry
Wild Raspberry
Wild Strawberry
Berries for Your Health
We have all heard that berries are good for our health, but why? It turns out that they are rich in
fiber, vitamins, minerals and compounds called antioxidants.
How Antioxidants Work
Cells are the tiniest structural units in our body. They are called the building blocks of life.
These cells are constantly being attacked by tiny molecules called oxidants and free radicals.
These reactive compounds can tear cell membranes and damage cell components, leading to poor
health or “aging” of the cell. We have trillions of cells in our bodies. Some oxidative damage is
a normal part of being alive. Pollution including cigarette smoke and unhealthy food including
refined food and fried food expose us to high amounts of free radicals. According to author
Michael Murray:
Cumulative free radical damage leads to cellular aging and is a major factor
contributing to type 2 diabetes as well as many other chronic diseases including heart
disease, cancer, arthritis, macular degeneration and cataracts.
It is well known that type 2 diabetics have higher levels of free radicals and oxidants.
Luckily, nature has provided us with protection against these harmful compounds.
Antioxidants, which are found in many fruits and vegetables, stabilize free radicals, limiting the
damage they can do to cells. They actually protect the health of the cell and are said to slow
down aging, reduce inflammation and increase immune health. Many colorful fruits and
vegetables are high in antioxidants. Berries are among the most potent antioxidant foods.
Vitamin C, Vitamin E and carotenes are examples of antioxidants that have been shown to lower
the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Flavenoids are plant pigments that give plants their color. They protect the body in many
ways including acting as antioxidants, protecting and strengthening blood vessel walls and
healing tissue. There are several types of flavendoids including anthocyanadins (huckleberries,
blueberries, cranberries), hesperidin (citrus fruits), quercetin (onions, horsetail) and rutin.
Scientific research has shown that flavenoids have antioxidant powers that can help protect the
body from cardiovascular disease, varicose veins, Alzheimer’s disease, cataracts, glaucoma and
the side effects of diabetes including diabetic retinopathy, kidney damage and vascular
degeneration.
All of the native berries found in Western Washington have significant levels of
antioxidants and flavenoids. We have included descriptions and recipes for some of the most
common berries you might find.
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Cranberry
Oxycoccus species.
Cranberries are the jewels of the northwest coastal
bogs. These tiny plants grow in the moss and produce
round, ruby-colored berries in late summer through winter.
The
time to gather them is usually in autumn after the first frost.
Cranberries can be eaten fresh but their flavor is greatly
improved with cooking and sweetening. If you have ever
had
unsweetened cranberry juice, you know how it can make
your
face pucker up.
Cranberries have long been used as a food and medicine. The berries were traditionally
stored in damp moss through the winter and stayed fresh through spring. They were also picked
green and stored in boxes or baskets until they turned soft and brown. In Discovering Wild
Plants Janice Schofield says that the Inupiat feed cranberries in seal oil to those with a poor
appetite and gall bladder problems. This makes perfect sense, since bitter compounds in plants
stimulate the secretion of digestive juices
Many people drink cranberry juice for its ability to prevent bladder and urinary tract
infections. Most cranberry juice on the market is heavily sweetened. Sugar weakens immune
function, so try to find unsweetened or lightly sweetened cranberry juice. You can add half
apple juice to help the flavor. At least three cups a day are recommended for preventing urinary
tract and bladder infections. Blueberry and huckleberry juice can be used in the same way.
Cranberry is a favorite relish for accompanying turkey and other meats. It is also
excellent in salad dressing, deserts, breads, jams and jellies. The berries are high in pectin, so
when you cook them, they naturally become thick.
Cranberry Rosehip Relish
1 12 oz. bag of cranberries
1 cup fresh rosehips or 1/2 cup of dried rosehips (cleaned, seeds removed)
The juice of 1 orange
Agave nectar, honey or sugar added to desired sweetness
2 tablespoons lemon juice
In a medium-sized pan gently heat cranberries, rosehips, orange juice and lemon juice until the
cranberries and rosehips are soft and cooked. Add more water if necessary. Add agave or other
sweetener to desired sweetness. Let the relish cool before serving it and keep refrigerated for up
to several weeks.
Huckleberry
Vaccinium species
What is better than wandering through the woods and finding a bush covered in ripe
huckleberries? There are more than 20 species of huckleberries in the Northwest, which range
from the coast to the high mountains. Huckleberries come in many sizes. Dwarf wartelberry is a
mere six inches tall and is covered in tiny red berries that would satisfy a mouse, while the
bigger mountain blueberries and huckleberries are large enough for bear to gorge on and actually
get full. Berry colors range from orangish-red to purple to deep blue-black. The only difference
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between huckleberries and
blueberries is that huckleberries have a stronger
flavor. They are the same
genus botanically.
Many types of huckleberries were traditionally harvested with combs made of wood.
This device would easily strip the fruit from the bushes without damaging them. Techniques
including burning and pruning have been used to increase huckleberry productivity. If you go
into fields where people have carefully harvested and maintained the bushes, you will find that
the berries are larger and more abundant.
Huckleberries are one of the most important traditional foods and also one of the
healthiest. They may be one of the reasons that many Native elders lived to be over 100 years
old. They are considered an anti-aging food and are even being made into dietary supplements.
Antioxidants in the plant protect body tissue from “free radicals” in cells that cause damage.
They prevent inflammation and increase tissue strength.
One of the easiest ways to make berries a regular part of your diet is by using frozen
berries. If you do not gather enough from your own bushes, you can buy them frozen in most
stores throughout the year. They are relatively inexpensive to buy in bulk at food coops. You
can add them to hot cereal, sprinkle them on cold cereal, or put them over ice cream. The
recommended daily amount for health benefits is 1/2 cup a day.
Huckleberry smoothie
In a blender place:
2 bananas
1/2 cup frozen blueberries or huckleberries
2 cups water or juice (orange, apple, etc.)
1/2 cup yogurt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
A few drops vanilla extract
Blend until smooth and pour in glasses.
Serves 2. Cinnamon and blueberries are
especially helpful for diabetes prevention
and treatment.
Huckleberries and Blueberries for Diabetics –Blueberries and huckleberries do not
raise blood sugar and are an important food for pre-diabetics and diabetics. They are high in
antioxidants which help protect the body from the effects of high blood sugar including diabetic
retinopathies, kidney damage and poor tissue healing. Recent research suggests that blueberries
(and huckleberries) also lower cholesterol and help to prevent heart disease, cancer and bladder
or urinary tract infections. They are helpful for the heart and for preventing or treating varicose
veins and hemorrhoids.
Salal
Gaultheria shallon
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Salal is one of our most common and most overlooked berries. It grows in lush thickets
under open evergreen forests or in sunny areas where there is moisture and good drainage. The
leaves are thick, dark green on top and noticeably waxy. Spring flowers look like little white
bells (sticky and slightly hairy), and the berries are a blue-black when ripe. Salal berries are
ready between August and October, depending on elevation and weather conditions. They vary
from delicious to bland and boring, depending on their soil and amount of sun. Taste the berries
before you gather them, and if they do not suit you, try traveling to a different bush a little ways
away.
Salal was a common traditional food. The berries were
traditionally mashed, dried into cakes and then stored and eaten
in
the winter months. Sometimes the berries were mixed with
dried meat and traditional oils. The cakes were dried on cedar
boards or skunk cabbage leaves (also called Indian wax paper).
Many people preferred to rehydrate the cakes in water, then dip
them into seal, whale or eulachon oil.
Salal Fruit Leather
Gather berries in late summer to early fall when they are sweet and tasty. Clean and rinse
if necessary. 3 quarts of berries makes about 1 cookie sheet of fruit leather. Place berries in a
blender with 1/3 cup honey to sweeten and the juice of one fresh lemon to bring out the flavor.
Fit wax paper over a cookie sheet with sides. Pour blended berries onto the sheet and use
a spatula to smooth them out to an even consistency of about a quarter inch. The berries can be
dried traditionally in the sun or in the oven.
Sun drying: If it is hot and dry, place the pan in the full sun, preferably in a windy spot.
If there are flies or bugs, you can put cheesecloth over the berries. It will probably take 2-4 days
to dry completely, so bring the berries in at night to prevent them from gathering dew. After the
berries are mostly dried, lay another piece of wax paper over the berries and carefully turn them
over. Peel the old wax paper off and let the other side dry out. When it seems the consistency of
fruit leather, cut the berry sheet into strips and store in plastic bags to prevent it from drying out
completely.
You can also make round berry cakes and dry them on skunk cabbage leaves, which
works like wax paper. This is the traditional method.
Oven method: Place the berries in the oven on the lowest temperature (usually about
170 degrees) and leave the oven cracked so that water can evaporate off the berries. When the
berries are mostly dry (6-8 hours) place another piece of wax paper over the berries and flip them
over. Carefully peel off the wax paper and continue drying. If you have to leave, simply turn
your oven off and place the berries in a warm spot in the house with cheesecloth or a paper towel
over them. Continue drying as you can.
Variations: You can make fruit leather out of a variety of berries. The key is to use
berries that are low in water content. Good choices are thimbleberry, blueberry and huckleberry.
Salmonberry
Rubus spectabilis
Salmonberries are some of the earliest berries of spring. Their bright pink flowers add a
first splash of color to the forest after winter. In April through June succulent orange to rubycolored berries appear. Their taste varies according to where they grow so taste test some to find
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the bushes that are most delicious. Salmonberry forms dense thickets in generally wet forested
areas. It grows as high as nine feet tall with brown stems that are covered in thorns and leaves
resembling the raspberry plant.
Families in some tribal communities once owned salmonberry patches. After harvesting
from their patch, the family might give a community feast, then open the area for picking to
anyone. Salmonberries are especially juicy and do not dry or preserve well. They are usually
eaten fresh.
Soapberry
Shepherdia Canadensis
Soapberry or soopollalie got its name because it contains compounds called saponins that
lather like soap. This is the plant of the famous Indian ice cream. This confection does not taste
like ice cream, and it does not necessarily look like it either. When the berries are whipped, they
make a foamy dessert that resembles light pink whipping cream. The berries are extremely bitter
and these days most people mix them with sugar. Many people say Indian ice cream is an
acquired taste. If you do not like it the first time, try it several times, and you may find you
begin to enjoy it.
Skokomish elder Bruce Miller talked about the traditional way of eating Indian ice cream
as a palate cleanser between courses at feasts. Special wooden bowls and spoons were used to
eat this delicacy. It was considered a party food. Soapberries are considered such an important
fruit to coastal people that many families who did not have them in their area traded for them.
Indian Ice Cream
When you make Indian ice cream it is extremely important to use a clean glass bowl with
absolutely no oil in it. Oil will break down the frothing action of the saponins in the berries.
Whip the berries with an equal amount of water into a light froth. It should turn very light pink
and look a little like whipping cream. Add sweetener to taste. Either sugar or honey can be
added but remember that the berries are naturally bitter and sour, so no amount of sugar will
totally cover this. To add flavor and flair, traditional foods cook, Sonja Gee, has added wild
blackberry juice. Any kind of berry can be added.
Thimbleberry
Rubus parviflorus
These bright red berries are a symbol of summer’s delicacies. The seeds are tiny and
have a little crunch that is pleasing to the senses. The berries are delicious fresh, and because
they are seedy and less water-laden, they dry well as fruit leather. Large soft maple-like leaves
give this plant another common name, “toilet paper plant.” You can imagine how useful it is
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when you are far from the bathroom. Thimbleberry flowers are large and white, resembling a
wild rose.
Thimbleberry Dressing or Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup thimbleberries, mashed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine or rice vinegar
squeeze of lemon
salt to taste
Put all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously. Use as a salad dressing or dipping
sauce for bread.
Trailing Wild Blackberry
Rubus ursinus
Wild blackberries are low growing plants with thorned, long-running silvery-grey stems.
They create a ground cover in woods or in clearings. Blackberry flowers are white with five
long petals. Only the female plants produce the juicy delicious berries.
Most Northwest Coastal People prize the small black berries as a late summer treat. Wild
blackberries are high in vitamin C and natural sugars. You can get creative with recipes and
make blackberry lemonade or blackberry sauce by mashing the berries and pressing them
through cloth or a fine strainer to remove the seeds.
Blackberry Sauce for Wild Game
1 cup of wild blackberries (thimbleberries or huckleberries could be used)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
4 juniper berries
1 teaspoon of dried rosemary or 1 small sprig of fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons of agave nectar or honey
Bring berries, vinegar, juniper berries and rosemary to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring
consistently to crush blackberries. Turn down to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and
add agave or honey. When cool, squeeze through muslin cloth to keep sauce and discard solids
including seeds. Drizzle on venison or elk. This can also be used as a glaze for duck, goose or
chicken.
Wild Strawberry
Fragaria species.
Strawberries are a lot of work to gather but the results are always worth it. One of these
little berries the size of the tip of your pinky finger has more flavor than the huge hybridized
berries they sell in the market now. I have heard old timers voice their concerns about how the
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strawberries just do not taste like they used to. “They bred the flavor right out of them!” one
elder said. Currently when everyone seems to want quantity over quality, these little
strawberries remind us that some of the most sensational flavors can only be found in the wild.
Many people simply eat strawberries fresh in the field because they are difficult to
transport (and difficult to pass up in the moment). Because of their high water content, they do
not dry very well. Makah women and children would traditionally go out to the berry fields and
have a picnic, eating them right in the fields. The Quinault ate them as a party food. It seems
that strawberries can teach us to take in the fruits of the moment.
There are two kinds of wild strawberries in our area, woodland strawberry (Fragaria
vesca) and Coastal strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis). You can grow either one of these in your
garden as a ground cover. Strawberries seem to taste better when they grow in the sun. They
spread quickly and form a carpet on the ground.
Drying Berries
Dried berries are a great treat to snack on in the winter months. You can taste the flavors
of summer and remember a sunnier time. Berries that are low in water content and do not have a
lot of seeds dry well. Examples include huckleberries, salal, serviceberries, blueberries and
currants.
If necessary, wash berries. Some berries like huckleberry and salal will dry more evenly
if they are blanched (boiled for a short period of time.) To do this, place berries in a colander or
cheesecloth bag and dip them in boiling water for one minute. Take the berries out and let them
drain on a cloth. Place the berries on cheesecloth-covered screens in a single layer. Cover with
another layer of cheesecloth. Place the berries outside in a sunny place with good airflow. Wind
helps the berries to dry more quickly. Turn them often and bring them in at night to prevent
them from gathering dew. After about two days they should turn leathery. Place in plastic bags.
The berries should last for about a year.
Berries can also be dried in a food dehydrator or in the oven on the lowest temperature
(110-170). Be sure to keep the oven door cracked about half an inch so that moisture can escape.
Recipe from Wild Berries of the West by Derig and Fuller
Wild Berry Crisp
Filling:
6-8 cups of berries. Possibilities include strawberry, huckleberry, blackberry or a combination.
1/2 cup of honey, agave nectar or xylitol as sweetener.
2 tablespoons corn starch or 1/4 cup all-purpose flour.
1 teaspoon of lemon zest or two teaspoons of lemon juice.
Topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour or barley flour
1 and 1/2 cup rolled oats
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1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
2 tablespoons corn oil
1/2 cup honey, agave nectar or rice syrup
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the filling ingredients and spread evenly in a 9 by 12 inch
baking pan. Roast flour, oats and chopped nuts by stirring them in a dry skillet over medium
heat until they are heated through and are just beginning to brown. Remove from heat and place
in a bowl. Heat oil and honey, then pour over the dry mix. Add salt and cinnamon. Mix well
and drop evenly over the berries. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the berries bubble and the
topping is crisp.
Elise Krohn, 2008
References:
Derig, E. and Fuller, M. (2001). Wild Berries of the West. Missoula: Mountain Press.
Diamond, S. (2004). Natures Best Heart Medicine. Vancouver: Alive Books.
Henderson, R. (2000). The Neighborhood Forager. Whiter River Junction: Chelsea Green.
Krohn, E. (2007). Wild Rose and Western Red Cedar. N.W. Indian College.
Moore, M. (1993). Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. Santa Fe: Red Crane Books.
Murray, M. (2003). How to Prevent and Treat Diabetes with Natural Medicine. New York:
Riverhead Books.
Turner, N. (1995). Food Plants of Coastal Northwest Peoples. Vancouver: UBC Press.
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