Summer Time is Berry-Pickin' Time

I remember when I was six years old, going on vacation to Oregon and  discovering the magic of berry picking. Blackberry bushes grow all over the place up there and I remember picking blackberries by the sides of trails and next to parking lots everywhere we went. I thought this was something that would never be available to me back home in arid southern California. Turns out I just didn't know where to look, or even what to look for. There are all kinds of berries that grow wild in San Diego county and right now is the time of year to be out picking them.

Blackberries

Did you know that blackberries grow wild in San Diego county? I didn't until about two weeks ago. I suppose 'feral' is the more appropriate word, as it's the Himalayan Blackberry that has berries you can pick, which is an invasive species. But it's an invasive species you can eat, so I really have no problem with it. In San Diego you'll find them up in the mountains, in low spots where water collects. We collected a bunch along the roadside next to Lake Henshaw.

Elderberries

I already talked about making jelly out of these. Of all the berries you'll find in the county, these are probably most worth your time to pick. They are extremely abundant, easy to pick, can be made into many delicious things and although they are not nearly as sweet as blackberries, they can be eaten without any processing. In addition to jelly, they make excellent syrup and wine and are also great for baking with. 

Choke Cherries

This sour cherry is native to North America and found throughout the US in pretty much every state. The fruit is very astringent and unpalatable when raw. It also has a large pit, almost the size of a domesticated cherry, although the fruit is half the size. It tends to grow in large patches, and if you find a good patch, it will provide more fruit than you will know what to do with! It makes and excellent sour cherry jelly and I've heard that it is also well-suited for making syrup.

Manzanita Berries (Bearberries)

Manzanita is a very common shrub with beautiful red bark that grows in chaparral environments throughout California. The berries were an important staple food for the Luiseno, the Native American people who lived in the northern part of San Diego county. The berries were eaten raw or the seeds ground into flour. The berries are actually quite tasty, with a tart, sour apple-like taste. The berries are ripe when they are a bright red color and the berry is no longer covered in a sticky coating. In addition to flour, you can also use them to make cider. The Living Wild Project has some good information on processing them, and I'll be posting about my own experience processing them soon too.