As the leaves begin to turn various shades of red, yellow and orange, local trees and plants produce edible fruits. From berries to nuts to mushrooms, our local habitat abounds with tasty morsels.
DISCLAIMER: Be absolutely sure you can positively identify anything before you eat it.
FRUITS
Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa)
These trees are often planted as ornamental; however, their brightly colored, highly abundant fruits are edible. They taste like a guava smoothie, with a soft and somewhat stringy texture. They are ready to harvest when the bright red fruits first begin to dot the ground beneath the tree. Pick fruits that are soft, dark red and can easily be pulled away from the stem. Then squeeze the pulp into your mouth, and spit out the seeds. You can also make the berries into a tasty jam.
The Kousa dogwood trees have dark green leaves that are two to four inches long with an elliptic-ovate shape and horizontal branching. Around this time of year, the leaves will begin to turn purple and scarlet.
Apples (Malus)
All different types of apples can be found growing around town. Most varieties, such as those in the Staples courtyard, are cultivated. A crab apple tree is an apple that is two inches or less in diameter; though they may be super sour, they are edible. As with all apples, avoid the seeds which contain a compound that can turn into cyanide when digested.
The leaves, like most species in the Rosaceae family (apples, roses, quince, pears, etc.), have serrated edges. Apple leaves are two-toned with a darker green on the top and lighter green on the bottom. Compared to cherry trees, apples have a rougher bark and will have rectangular possibly shaggy scales rather than horizontal cuts.
Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)
These trees are often found on the sides of roads and highways. Red berries grow in upright, cone-shaped clusters and are a bit fuzzy. Sumac have compound, opposite leaves which are shaped like long ovals with a point. Their leaves are similar to poison sumac, but the poisonous variety has light green or white berries that sag downwards. The cluster will vary in taste from tree-to-tree, and the only way to know if you have found a good one is to pick a berry (or two) and taste it. Rinse away any insects (unless you want extra protein) that may be residing in the clusters. Because of the sour taste, sumac makes an excellent drink that is similar to lemonade when mixed with cool water.
Wild/fox grapes (Vitis labrusca)
Wild grapes are similar to cultivated grapes in that they grow on vines with tendrils and have similar shaped leaves, though the fruits are smaller. These grapes also have an earthy, musky flavor and a much stronger taste and odor than cultivated grapes. They have larger seeds and thicker skin which can be swallowed or spat out. The leaves range from four to eight inches in length and are lobed and heart-shaped, usually with three to five shallow lobes. The vines are often found in moist soil in sunny areas.
NUTS AND SEEDS
Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
Black walnuts grow in large yellow-green husks that turn brown with age and can be found lying on the ground beneath the trees. The nuts are about two inches in diameter. When gathering and preparing nuts, wear gloves, as the husks can stain your hands which can last up to three weeks. You can then crack the nuts open by stepping on them (with a pair of shoes you do not mind getting stained), or, if you have a large batch, drive over them with a car on a gravel driveway until they split. Seriously, that is the advice of experts. To get rid of rotten walnuts, place the shelled nuts in a pot of water, and remove any of the ones that float.
Acorns come from oak trees which have pointed lobes and are often unequal on the sides. When harvesting acorns, find ones which have already detached from the caps as they are ripe. Avoid nuts in which the tops are raised, sunken or blackened or ones where the shells have a small round hole (left by weevils). If you are unsure if an acorn is good, crack it open, the meat should be pure, off-white on the inside. To test the acorns further, place the haul in a bucket of water. This will both clean them off and will allow you to discard bad ones. Any acorns that float should be thrown away whereas the ones that sink should be good.
To prepare the nuts and leech out the bitter tannins, boil two pots of water, and drop the shell-less acorns in. Once the water becomes a dark brown color, strain it out and place the acorns into the second pot. Repeat this process until the water is clear, not letting the nut meat cool off in between boiling. You could also soak the shelled nuts in cool water, changing it when it turns dark. The cold water approach could take several days.
Chinese Chestnut (Castanea mollissima)
These nuts can be distinguished by their incredibly spikey shell that will drop from the tree and open when mature. The nuts inside are approximately one inch in diameter. When harvesting, be mindful of these spines and wear gloves or bring a cloth to carry them. Chinese chestnut trees have wider, shinier leaves with a “U” shape at the base. A simple way to prepare these nuts is to cut an “X” in the shell and place one nut in the microwave for 30 seconds. Once it has cooled down, peel off the shell and enjoy.
WARNING: The Chinese chestnut has toxic lookalikes: the buckeyes and horse chestnut. These species are not true chestnuts. The spikes on the husks of these nuts will be much smaller and will not cover the entire shell. The nuts themselves will also be much larger. If you do consume a buckeye or horse chestnut, seek immediate medical attention.
Beech nut (Fagus)
These nuts can be found littering the ground beneath beech trees. They are encased in a small husk, covered in spines (though not as painful as the spines on chestnuts, see above). Each husk contains two piramidal, shiny brown nuts. When harvesting, find nuts where the husk is still intact; ones that have broken open have already gone bad. To prepare the nuts, shell the nuts individually (similar to how you would with a sunflower seed). There are then multiple recipes online for how to cook these nuts such as this one. Beech trees are identifiable by their light, smooth bark. Their leaves are a dark, glossy green and are ovate or elliptical in shape.
Sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus)
The sunflowers you will find in this area are the domesticated variety, but I am sure the neighbors will not notice if you just take a head or two. Once the sunflowers have died back completely and the back of the heads are brown, it is ready to cut. The seeds should be black and begging to come loose. Then, leave the seeds out to dry. Once they are dry, you can roast them or use them in any recipe.
GREENS
Lemon Sorrel/Wood Sorrel/Sourgrass (Oxalis)
Lemon sorrel is often misidentified with clover; however, it can be distinguished by its heart-shaped leaves and solid light green color (or sometimes purple or pink around this time of year). This plant has a bright, citrusy flavor. They also put out small, sour fruits (my favorite part) that grow upright on the stalks and resemble tiny okra pods. When the seed pods are overripe, upon contact, they will explode, shooting seeds several feet away.
Dandelion greens (Taraxacum)
Many people know that dandelion heads, in late spring and early summer, are bright yellow (and are edible and have a powdery texture when raw) and later in the summer, they puff up and produce seeds. While many focus on the flowering portion of the plant, the greens below are most intriguing. Dandelions have basal leaves (growing from the bottom of the stem) and are long and lobed. When cut, they will produce a milky sap. The leaves are extremely bitter and taste great in salads or just straight from the ground. The taproot can also be used for several purposes.
MUSHROOMS
Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea)
The giant puffball is one of the most easily recognizable mushrooms growing in this area. These puffballs can grow up to two feet in diameter and even larger ones have been reported. Puffballs have no distinct stem nor cap. To tell if a giant puffball is good for eating, always cut it open. The meat should be pure white on the inside. When cutting the mushroom open, check that there are no developing gills, which indicates it could be an immature Destroying Angel mushroom which can look similar to small, young puffballs. To prepare the puffball, cut it into small pieces and cook it.
Remember: do not eat anything without positively identifying it first, only take small portions of things in case you have an allergic reaction and enjoy.
Credits:
All photo's by Lucy Dockter '23