Local wild fruit foraging
The best time to consume any fruit is when it is in season locally. This is because it has the maximum flavor and nutritional value. Berries and other fruits transported from out of town, or other countries are often picked before they are ripe, because it makes them last longer for shelf sale. This deprives them of nutrients and flavor.
There is a good reason why mother nature presents juicy fruits and berries with colors and odors that present peak attraction to us when they are the most edible and nutritious. Certainly there will always be fruits that are not ever native to our region, so that we will need to acquire them from elsewhere if we are to consume them.
For North America, bananas come to mind. Now, if one has the means and motivation to construct a heated greenhouse, or hydroponic garden, some plant food may be cultivated out of its native region, but it is arguable whether it has the same nutritional value.
All that aside, the very best way and time to consume fruit is local and in-season. I thought we might take a look at local berries, and perhaps some of their cousins that are obtainable in the region. Highbush blueberries can actually be shaken off the bush at a rate of five gallons an hour if they are densely packed enough. Experienced shakers recommend a golf umbrella to catch the berries before transferring to a five-gallon pail. An alternative is an angel food cake cutter to rake the berries. Not as fast, but still quicker than picking by hand. Blueberries are a nutrition superstar, being cited for benefits in areas such as cardiovascular and brain health. They are reported to improve all-important insulin response, and they are loaded in cancer-fighting anti-oxidants.
If you are a jam-maker, pectin is a must. This can be made from a variety of wild apples, best picked just before ripeness when the pectin is at its highest level. Feral apple trees, untended apple trees, unwanted apples and crabapple trees are among the most accessible candidates. One day of gathering and preparing often provides more than enough pectin to use for the rest of the year. Ideally, having a whole bunch of crabapple skins and cores would result in a higher pectin yield than processing them whole, but not many want to peel them, so usually it is easiest to process them whole. Crabapples have a decent amount of potassium (194 mg), Vitamin C and a little calcium.
Black elderberries appear in June. They are fairly easy to spot: White clusters of tiny white flowers. These and all plants can be searched via internet for photos. As always, extension services are commonly available to assist in identifying foliage if you are in doubt. There is evidence based upon European studies that elderberry syrup wards off the onset of influenza.
Staghorn sumac grows in many locations. It is a small deciduous tree that grows in thickets or clusters, named for its branches which resemble the velvety antlers of a deer. It can be used to make a lemonade-like drink. They look like elongated tight clusters of red seeds. They are sticky, so gloves are recommended. Collect the drupes when it hasn鈥檛 rained for a few days as the rain washes out some of the malic acid and flavor. Sumac seeds keep a long time in the freezer, so you can enjoy them all year. Sumac is high in Vitamin C. Be sure to learn to identify it from its poison cousin, which is not hard because they look different.
Wild pears are a real treat for us pear-lovers. The trees and fruits are not quite the same as the cultivated varieties, so some searching for photos, or a good edible food guide will help. The fruit is hard, so they need to be cooked a little to be eaten. Pears have a notable amount of copper, Vitamin C and Vitamin K. They are best known for their phytonutrients, which are anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant. According to The George Mateljan Foundation, intake of pears has been associated with decreased risk of several common chronic diseases that begin with chronic inflammation and excessive oxidative stress. These diseases include heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Here is the impressive list of the most notable phytonutrients in pears by category:
n Hydroxybenzoic acids: chlorogenic acid, gentisic acid, syringic acid and vanillic acid;
n Hydroxycinnamic acids: coumaric acid, ferulic acid and 5-caffeoylquinic acid;
n Hydroxyquinones: arbutin;
n Flavanols, also known as Flavan-3-ols: catechin and epicatechin;
n Flavonols: isorhamnetin, quercetin and kaempferol;
n Anthocyanins: in red-skinned varieties, including Red Anjou, Red Bartlett, Comice, Seckel, and Starkrimson; and
n Carotenoids: beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin.
Wild feral apples are extremely common, usually ignored by most of us. They are best used in applesauce, which is pretty easy to make with just a simmering pot, a masher, and a whisk. Apples hardly need to be promoted for their nutrition, as they are probably the most lauded fruit. Suffice it to say, they are high in potassium, which many people need because of the American high-sodium diet. Apples help restore the vital potassium/sodium balance.
We will finish today with the wild black cherry. Best gathered in August in our region, they are a very common tree. They make an excellent jam. Be advised the fruits is extracted from the seeds via a food mill rather than cooking it. Cherries are packed with unique antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. Cherries are pigment-rich fruits; the pigments are polyphenolic flavonoid compounds known as anthocyanin glycosides, known to have powerful anti-oxidant properties. Studies have shown that anthocyanins in cherries act like anti-inflammatory drugs.
Cherries may offer health effects against chronic pain from gout arthritis, fibromyalgia and injuries. They are composed of the melatonin anti-oxidant, which can cross the blood-brain barrier easily, and thus has soothing effects on the brain neurons, calming down nervous system irritability. Cherries can help relieve neurosis, insomnia and headache problems. Tart cherries in particular are exceptionally rich in flavonoid poly phenolic anti-oxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin and beta carotene. These compounds act as protective scavengers against harmful free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging, cancers and various disease processes.
These are but a few of the rich jewels in the areas surrounding us. Good nutrition in season does not require lots of money; it just requires some effort to self-educate. There are extension services, web sites, classes, and books to assist.
Happy foraging.