Harvesting the wild of Wyoming NATIVE, FREE and DELICIOUS Sandra Frost in recipes. Leaves are oval with an abruptly ome of us are just naturally scavengers pointed tip. Stems are reddish brown and S– we know where to find the biggest covered with distinct, white, raised bumps fish, the local orchards, the farm stands, (lenticels). and the best berry patches. Don’t overlook American plum Wyoming’s native fruit when scavenging – it One of the earliest flowering fruits is is high in nutrition and free for the picking. the American plum, (Prunus Americana) Native fruit tends to ripen and mature a 3- to 5-foot-tall tree native to Wyoming. first at lower elevations then at higher eleva- Find them when they bloom in late April or tions. Harvest season can be a month or early May. Plums occur in drainage areas – Rose hips more. Here are 10 native fruits that can be draws, ravines, canyons of the plains, and harvested for jam, jellies, and pie. Fruit can foothills. Plum and chokecherry are similar also be dried, canned, or frozen. Look for in appearance because they are in the same food preservation classes at your local UW genus. The serrated leaves are very simi- BERRY DELICIOUS Extension office. Find one at uwyo.edu/ces. lar to chokecherry leaves; in fact, the young Now that you’ve wild Black chokecherry leaves of chokecherries are almost identical fruit in hand, here’s The black chokecherry (Prunus virginiana to a plum leaf. Older plum leaves, however, taper more gradually toward the tip than how to preserve them var. melanocarpathe) is a tall, multi-stemmed shrub found throughout Wyoming, usu- older chokecherry leaves. Woody stems of for enjoyment through- ally less than 15 feet tall, with white, five- plums are distinctly different from the red- out the long winter! petal flowers in a raceme (a long cylindrical dish chokecherry stems. Young plum stems are brown, turning gray as they mature, and View this University shape). Chokecherry blooms from May to the raised lenticels are not as distinct as of Wyoming bul- June and ripens from August to September depending upon elevation. Ripe fruit is round those found on chokecherry. Flowering plum letin http://bit.ly/ and black. Chokecherry usually occurs in trees have individual flowers, usually white wyowildberries clumps in the foothills but may grow near or slightly pinkish, scattered throughout the streams in drier areas. Note that stems, tree. Plum fruits are up to ¾-inch in diameter leaves, and the pit are all poisonous. and are individually scattered. The green Remove stems and leaves before process- fruit develops an orange to a pink or reddish ing and use only the soft flesh around the pit blush as it ripens. FALL 2014 7 Black chokecherry Serviceberry Buffaloberry Serviceberry is also called Buffaloberry is a thorny shrub juneberry in the West. Three spe- found on bottomland and stream cies of serviceberry are found in banks in foothills and plains. Two Wyoming: Saskatoon serviceberry red, with five petals and five sepals. species of buffaloberry are found (Amelanchier alnifolia), Utah service- Roses bloom in June to July. Shrubs in Wyoming: silver buffaloberry berry (Amelanchier utahensis), and are 3 to 4 feet high and found in (Shepherdia argentea) and rus- dwarf serviceberry (Amelanchier open to wooded habitats. Rose hips set buffaloberry (Shepherdia pumila). They are found on open ripen in late August to September, Canadensis). Buffaloberry shrubs hillsides from foothills to subalpine are bright orange to red in color, grow 8 to 10 feet high and are similar areas. Serviceberries can grow up and range in flavor from tasteless to another member of the same plant to 15 feet tall, but some plants sel- to sweet. Dried rose hips persist on family, Russian olive, in appearance dom attain this height because deer plants and remain edible throughout having oblong, blunt-shaped leaves. heavily browse them. White, star- the winter. Although never bitter, they Silver buffaloberry leaves have a shaped blooms appear in clusters are very seedy. distinct sage coloration similar to called racemes in late April to late Russian olive. Russet buffaloberry May. Leaves are oval to nearly round. leaves are dark green on the upper Leaves are serrated and dark green surface and fuzzy underneath. Non- on top and paler underneath. The fruit descript, small flowers, yellowish to is a small berry-like pome (or small pale green, bloom in April to May. apple). The immature red fruit turns a Pale orange to bright red fruit ripens dark purple to black when it ripens in in late July to early August. Silver buf- mid-July to mid-August. Serviceberry faloberries make better jams and jel- will have a star-shaped arrangement lies than russet buffaloberry, which is of sepals at the tip of the berry – just bitter. Although suitable for jams and like an apple. jellies, raw russet buffaloberries have a soapy taste and can cause diarrhea Woods’ rose if consumed in large quantities. The Woods’ rose (Rosa woodsii) is the most common native rose Wild currants shrub found in Wyoming. Other Three main species of wild species in Wyoming include the currants are in Wyoming. All three are prickly rose (Rosa acicularis), prairie small shrubs growing to a maximum rose (Rosa arkansana), and Nootka height of 5 feet. Currants ripen mid- rose (Rosa nutkana). The fruits of all July to August. Black currant (Ribes these species are edible through the hudsonianum) is found in moist, year and were an important source shady locations in stands of timber or of vitamin C for the native people along streams. Leaves have three to and early explorers of the Rocky five lobes and look like a small maple Mountains. Blooms of wild roses leaf. Leaves are serrated around the are usually light to dark pink, or even entire edge of the leaf. White flowers Buffaloberry 8 BARNYARDS & BACKYARDS are funnel shaped, and black berries but very flavorful as they ripen to a (up to ½ to ¾ inch in diameter) than are very sweet. Golden currant (Ribes reddish purple color. Most people that of Canadian gooseberry. Small, aureum) is found in open, sunny prefer gooseberries over currants for bell-shaped flowers, usually white areas. Leaves have three to five blunt making pies and jams. Gooseberries with a pale greenish-yellow tint, or rounded lobes, without serrations occur most often on flood plains and bloom in May. Gooseberries ripen around the lower portion of the leaf. along streams. There are two spe- from green to pink to deep purple in Flowers are bright yellow, and berries cies of gooseberry in Wyoming: both mid-July to mid-August. Fruit has the can be yellow, orange, red, or purple. are small shrubs that generally do dried flower attached to one end. You should sample the berries of each not exceed 3 feet in height. Canadian shrub to test the flavor, which may be gooseberry (Ribes oxycanthoides) has For information: Preserving Food in Wyoming: Wild sweet or bitter. The berries from wax rust-colored younger shoots covered Berries and other wild fruit, currant shrubs (Ribes cereus) are not with fine spines while older grayish University of Wyoming Extension recommended for making jams and stems have one to three large spines Bulletin, B-1210.3, 2011 jellies. Wax currant berries, orange to at the base of leaves. Whitestem red, are usually very bitter. gooseberry (Ribes inerme) has very Vascular Plants of Wyoming, Robert few thorns at the base of leaves of Gooseberry D. Dorn, illustrated by Jane L. older white stems; however, young Dorn, Third Edition, 2001. Gooseberries are closely re- shoots are covered with fine spines. lated to currants but have prickles or Leaves are three to five lobed with The Rocky Mountain Berry Book, thorns on the stem. You may want blunt tips. Whitestem gooseberry Bob Krumm, A Falcon Field to wear gloves when harvesting tends to produce slightly larger fruit Guide, Globe Pequot Press, them. Green gooseberries are sour Helena, MT, 1991. Sandra Frost is a retired University of Wyoming Extension educator. Gooseberry Serviceberry Waxy currant FALL 2014 9 .