Foraging in Ontario - Summer

There is an abundance of fruits to be had every summer - if you know what to look for.

The humble mulberry tree is a perennial source of sweet, juicy and very dark purple berries every summer. Red mulberry (Morus rubra) is native to eastern North America and grows along field edges and in open spaces and is easy to recognize by its distinct varied leaves. Its cousin, white mulberry (Morus alba) is an introduced species native to China and is just as tasty. Look for these in late June and throughout July.

After 10 minutes of picking, you can get a sizeable return for your efforts. Use them in jams, jellies, pies or just eat them out of hand. Their delicious taste is worth the purple stains on your fingers.

Another abundant fruit of summer is the black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis). You can find it in old fields, alongside roads and anywhere it can soak up lots of sunlight. You can identify this plant easily by its thorny purple canes, serrated leaves of three and seedy but very worthwhile black raspberries. Similar to mulberries, the 'green' (unripe) ones are red.

For a little effort you can collect lots of black raspberries. Despite its seedy quality, it makes an excellent jam or can be crushed in ice water to make a refreshing summer drink.

The sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) is a renowned fruit of the summertime. Originally from central Asia, this introduced species is often planted for its showy flowers in the springtime. The fruits are absolutely worth collecting, very juicy and tart as their name implies.

Interestingly, sour grapes are notably high in melatonin and sour cherry juice has been used as a natural sleep aid.

As the season winds down and the lazy dog days of late summer arrive, it's the perfect time to go looking for wild grapes. They grow on fences and trees alike, having no problem climbing 10-20 meters vertically to soak up the sunlight from above.

Vitis labrusca, the fox grape is known for its larger sized fruits and less acid taste than most other wild grapes. Indeed, it is the wild ancestor of the Concord grape, an American variety of a native grape species. Some are more sour than others, be prepared to taste a few before you find a grapevine that produces grapes edible for eating raw. Either way, expect the crunch of many seeds as you chew on these grapes.

Lastly but not least, serviceberries are a relatively unknown yet prolific summer fruit. Grown as an ornamental shrub or small tree primarily for its flowers, the berries that shortly follow are a unique experience.

Related to the apple, serviceberries are much softer and the seeds less prominent. They often come in large quantities at once, so collecting many isn't that difficult.

A warm early spring made it possible to collect a pound of serviceberries from a nearby field. The fruits are small, but sweet and chewy, excellent for turning into a paste, drying out into a fruit leather or even freezing for a pleasing addition to thanksgiving turkey later in the year.

This is only a fraction of the wild foods available to you. Wherever you happen to live, I hope this post inspires you to learn what's edible in your region, go out with a friend and enjoy the fruits of nature! Bon appetit!

All photographs in this article were taken by myself, and hereby released under CC0 (public domain) to the community.