Ontario is a huge province, especially in the north.

What can be found in these vast boreal regions?

Northern Ontario is huge by area and small by population. In a region with more moose per square kilometer than people, there's lots of space to look around for edibles in the forest.

One of these abundant fruits of the summertime is known as choke cherry (Prunus virginiana). As you might guess from the name, it's not the most delicious of wild edibles, but is relatively unknown as an edible and should be noted. It has a powerful astringent taste usually and can take a little getting used to. However the native peoples in the region considered it an important staple food long ago. Like black cherry (Prunus serotina) it has a bitter taste that makes it better suited for further sweetening before the fruit is consumed. Drying can help this to some extent.

Like other cherries, the bark is dark and smooth with horizontal stripes. It has berries in multiple flowers on one stem called a raceme. This allows it to be distinguished from other cherries, which generally each have their own stem per fruit. The very red ones can almost look like little round firecrackers on a string.

Red raspberries on the other hand, are more well known and genuinely delicious. They are a little bit smaller than the red raspberries that are commonly cultivated, but make up for it in their rich tart flavour. Collecting lots of these is much easier in the northern regions of Ontario, the only drawback being the amount and diversity of bugs that are active during this season. Identify raspberries by their serrated leaves of three, compound fruit that detaches without the core, and prickly canes.

It wouldn't be a real northern foraging guide if it overlooked blueberries. These are a delicacy of the northern areas, in the later days of summer you can find plenty. They are generally much smaller than their domesticated counterparts, but of course packed with flavour nonetheless.

Look for small blue berries with a velvety leaf that has rounded edges. The fruits form after the white, bell-shaped flowers that come in spring. There are a few different species of blueberries in the area but telling them apart can be difficult. However, they all have the same edible berries that are so sought after. Of course, collecting lots of these small berries can take some time.

For those that have a good technique down, collecting wild berries can be a profitable enterprise. This small bag of wild blueberries could fetch up to $20 at the farmer's market during the peak season. One thing is for sure, these little blue orbs are packed with vitamins and minerals.

Enjoy a healthy snack next time you're up in the northern wilderness - just remember black bears love blueberries as well!

All photos are taken by myself and are free for re-use (CCO) by the community.