I made two new friends today!

June 20, 2019

One of the great things about foraging is how you're continually acquiring knowledge of new plants.

Today, I learned about two new wild edibles, and I'm wicked excited to introduce them!

The first is Serviceberry (also known as Juneberry because it ripens--you guessed it!--in June). It's one of the first tree fruits to ripen. And it's delicious!

Serviceberry, which ripens in June

The fruits, the size of blueberries, look like blueberries. They turn purple as they ripen. Apparently they make a great pie or jam--I plan to try a pie soon.

The fruit is soft, not too sweet, and tastes like a cross between plums and cherries.

The seeds are soft but pleasantly chewy. They are the real star of the show, with a taste like almonds.

The ripe fruit are purple and look just like blueberries

My second new acquaintance: Lady's Thumb. I thought this name referred to the little pink buds which, if you have the imagination, look kind of like little pink Barbie thumbs.

But no: apparently the name refers to the darker spots on the leaves (third photo on right), which somebody once imagined were marked with the fingerprints of Ladies.

This is a low-growing, straggly plant that grows along sidewalks and hedgerows. A very common invasive, you can eat the leaves all you like, and you won't make a dent in the population.

So those are the two new friends I met today.

Oh! And also the people you meet in the edible wild/medicinal world are pretty wonderful, too!!