1) They are so easy to spot and love that a forager barely needs encouragement or identification assistance. Wild berries are obviously enticing, radioing their bright red signals: "
2) I'd like to keep them all to myself. But Wild Strawberries are a deeply delicious generosity of Nature that I cannot, in the end, in good conscience, hoard.
Latin: fragaria virginiana. The "fragaria" part I get. Just one of these tiny strawberries, whether fully ripened to red or still mostly white, has more flavor than a pound of store bought strawberries originated in
Locate: Admittedly wild strawberries are tiny and challenging to spot. They can be found in dappled shade, or shady sun in wet and dry areas alike. Secret (until now):
Identify: For those of you who have spent most of your lives on other planets, strawberries are the fruit of a low growing plant. The leaves, perky as wild virgins, stand about 6-10" tall, and are divided into three, green, toothy leaflets atop one stem. The berries are tiny, barely visible from under the stem-cap, and any where from unripe white (though perfectly delicious and edible) to red/fuscia (even more delicious) , and brown, if past it's prime. The berries of fragaria virginiana, and their accompanying white blossoms, grow in clusters lower than the leaves. The Wood Strawberry, fragaria vesca, of
There Are poisonous berries, however this edible berry is so distinctive that mis-identification is unlikely. Some suggest that Poison Ivy and Hookers Fairy Bells could be mistaken for strawberries. However, I doubt any person with 200/200 vision or better could mistake them. I suppose I should remind you, though, to identify your edibles with 100% certainty before devouring. You'll recall that strawberries have their seeds on the outside of the berry. This fact should help prevent you from making a stupid mistake.
If you've ever eaten a wild strawberry, you won't be surprised that they were a prized find among Native Interior people, who ate them fresh from the stem, as do we. Only very rarely did they dry them in cakes for later use.
Dried strawberry leaves make a good tea for relieving diarrhea and stomach aches (Eating Wild Plants by Kim Williams). You could combine it with mint for flavor and additional stomach ease.
Many wild edibles are difficult for our Western, corn-syruppy palates to appreciate. Wild Strawberries will not be. Your tongue will welcome them with songs and poems of praise and glory. These berries are an invitation to one of the most divine revel-ations this earth can minister to our senses. Welcome to the Church of the Wild Strawberry.
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