It’s the middle of winter and below zero as I am writing this, and I find myself dreaming of summer days spent roaming the field edge looking for wild berries to snack on or turn into jam to enjoy on a day like this next winter. Last time I wrote about the nut-bearing trees to be found around Henderson, so I thought I’d continue the “edibility of our landscape” theme by describing the various fruit-bearing trees to be found around here.

The native trees that bear edible fruit belong primarily to the genus Prunus, the cherries. There are actually four trees in this genus that can be found around here: Black Cherry, Choke Cherry, Pin Cherry, and American Plum. All have edible fruits, although I’m sure many of you know they are best used in preserves and jellies because of their small size. The cultivated fruit trees you find in orchards or plant in your yard are basically modified versions of wild fruits like these. Does anyone know the deadly poison that is found in the seeds of trees in this family (that also includes apples?)


Scaly Bark of a Native Black Cherry Tree

The Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) grows quite tall around here, especially when they grow under a canopy of larger trees like Oaks, Maples, or Basswood. It grows very fast and looks quite spindly, and frequently has no branches until the very top of the tree. Subsequently, the fruits are often difficult or impossible to reach, with most of them going to the birds. A distinguishing characteristic of the Black Cherry is its scaly bark; it almost looks like the bark is flaking off all the way up the tree. Also, the cherry trees have a very tiny but unique feature on their leaves – look for two tiny dots (glands) on the leaf stem just below the leaf base.

If you have any cherry furniture in your house, it is most likely the Black Cherry Tree that provided it. Trees around here do not grow large enough for commercial production due to our shorter growing season, but there are some that grow more than a foot in diameter. Personally, I wouldn’t cut down a living cherry tree here for lumber (because I really like cherry trees), but I did find a couple of standing dead trees last year that I had sawmilled into enough clear cherry lumber to build a few end tables. The lumber was stunning. Most woodworkers can attest to the pleasure of working with cherry and the beauty of the wood, its only downfall being its extreme sensitivity to moisture conditions.


Close-up of Cherry Leaves Showing Leaf Glands

I’m sure most people around Henderson are familiar with Prunus virginiana, the Chokecherry. It’s been used for jams longer than any of our ancestors can remember. It typically grows as a large shrub or small trees, and its fruits are in reach more often than its taller cousin the Black Cherry. Chokecherries love old fence lines, thanks to the birds that deposit their seeds while perching on that rusty old barbed wire fence. Chokecherries are not all that edible right off the tree, and can be quite bitter and difficult to swallow (hence the name), but when pitted and added to sugar they make great preserves and syrups. Chokecherries were a major food source for the native peoples around here; they were often ground up and added to dried meats and fats for a high-energy trail snack.

The Pin cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica) is probably not very common around Henderson, and might be confused with a large Chokecherry or squat Black Cherry. The most striking difference is that the fruits are a bright red, compared to the dark red/purple of the other two cherries. It does not grow large for the purposes of lumber, and its best quality is the food it provides for birds and other wildlife. This cherry can be used for the same purposes as the Chokecherry.

The Wild Plum (Prunus americana) produces a fruit about the size of a large marble, its skin is a deep reddish-purple and its flesh almost peach colored. The plum has a large pit in the middle, but if you discard that the plum makes great pie filling or jam. The plum is usually the first of the Prunus trees to bloom in the spring, look for its white and pink blossoms along field edges, along with its shrubby appearance and scaly bark. This tree can be a great landscaping tree or shrub is pruned properly, and its fruits attract all sorts of feathered creatures. If you want to pick plums you’d better get there before the birds!


Wild Plum Fruit and Leaves - Tasty!

Although not a tree, the wild Grape (Vitis spp.) is an extremely common and important vining fruit in the valley, and can be found in almost any wooded area. The grape may be seen as a nuisance by some, but I think the value of the fruit for wildlife and humans more than makes up for the vines that grow on buildings or into agricultural areas. Some people complain about grapevines killing trees by choking them out, but I suspect the Virginia Creeper vine is the cause of that more than the grape (they are often confused). Many people are familiar with making wreaths out of grapevines, or making jelly out of the fruits. I’m curious to see who has tried making wine out of these tiny cousins of the concord!


Ripe Wild Grapes

Another native tree worth mentioning for its edibility for humans is the Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). This tree is technically a member of the elm family, but I thought I’d mention it here because the tiny purple-black fruits can be eaten right off the tree or made into a jam. Be careful, though, because Hackberry fruits could be confused with the Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) which has inedible fruits and is a non-native invasive species once commonly planted as a hedge. Hackberries are most easily identified by the ridges on the bark, giving it a corky feel, and the pale-green elm-shaped leaves. The fruits have a unique texture, sort of like chewing on hard wax. Henderson is proud to boast one of the largest Hackberry trees in the state, just behind the drug store! This is a perfect chance to feel the corky bark and admire a tree that was probably there when Henderson was founded.


Hackberry Leaves and Fruit

Of course, there are many other berries to be found in the woods around Henderson (many are NOT edible) and most of them occur on shrubs (Raspberries, Gooseberries, Dogwoods, Hawthorns, Crabapples, Bittersweet, Wahoo) or herbaceous plants (White and red baneberry, Jack-in the Pulpit, Wild Rose, Ground Cherries, and countless others). Please use caution when deciding to try wild edibles because many of these are toxic to humans but have important wildlife value. There are field guides available for wild edibles, but the best advice I have is to consult someone with expertise about wild edible berries.

And last, I should mention the many great cultivars that you can plant for your family or sell as a farm product. The University of Minnesota has made great advances in developing north-hardy varieties of things like apples, pears, plums, and apricots that might not otherwise grow here. If you want to plant an orchard, there are many options available. Raspberries and Strawberries are a great way to use some yard space to provide edible food for your family and friends, and we are now witnessing the increasing popularity of vineyards and wineries in the MN River Valley thanks to some north-hardy grape varieties. Landscaping with shrubs and trees that have edible fruits is a fun way to feed wildlife, provide shade and windbreaks, and fun for the family!

Oh yeah - that poison I had mentioned before! Some fruits in the family Rosaceae (Rose Family) contain Hydrogen Cyanin in their seeds. These include our wild cherries, plum, and apple seeds. If these seeds enter our digestive system ground up or broken, our body converts them into Cyanide poison, although it is unlikely that it would be concentrated enough to do major harm. This is a defense mechanism against over-browsing by animals; if a deer eats too many Chokecherries, it will get sick from this toxin and will probably stop eating Chokecherries for a while, thereby preserving the plant from losing all its progeny.

Remember that only 160 years ago, the Native Americans who lived here relied heavily on these fruit trees as a food source, and many of the earliest homesteaders and settlers could not have survived for the first five or ten years without a wild food source. Eating wild edibles doesn’t have to be simply a novelty; still today people can use them as a significant (and tasty!) supplement to their diet. Think about apreading some wild grape jelly on a warm slice of buttered toast on a winter day, or topping those Belgian waffles with blackberry preserves and gobs of whipped cream. Yum!