By Debra E. Marvin, horticulturalist and just a bit fruity herself.
I saw an article proclaiming the United States only has 3 native fruits: blueberries, cranberries and Concord grapes. Wrong! First there’s that whole fruit vs vegetable discussion (tomatoes and peppers are fruits, by the way) and there are plenty of other fruits. Okay. Maybe not commercial successes... but it's a decent list.
While we do have wild grape (buckshot sized and super tart), the Concord Grape is a hybridized plant.
I saw an article proclaiming the United States only has 3 native fruits: blueberries, cranberries and Concord grapes. Wrong! First there’s that whole fruit vs vegetable discussion (tomatoes and peppers are fruits, by the way) and there are plenty of other fruits. Okay. Maybe not commercial successes... but it's a decent list.
While we do have wild grape (buckshot sized and super tart), the Concord Grape is a hybridized plant.
Colonials had to learn what new world fruits and nuts were safe to eat, and when. Here’s a list of native plants, shrubs and trees
that bear edible fruit. But don’t run out to the store expecting to find
anything but cranberries and blueberries. That much was right!
CRANBERRY – related to the
blueberry and very similar in growth but they love wet feet. This is a
well-known northeast native, famous for its preference for bogs (they
love soil acidity) and for showing up on that Thanksgiving table.
HUCKLEBERRY – also called Bilberry and sometimes ‘red blueberry’. Tarter than blueberries and have a noticeably different taste, and
larger seeds. A favorite childhood memory for me is having Huckleberry Pie at my grandma's house in Pennsylvania.
This plant seems to thrive in wooded, mountainous areas.
PAWPAW – the largest edible fruit
native to the Colonies. It may have been named for
its similarity to the tropical Papaya because it does not resemble any other
fruit we know. Another name is Kentucky Banana! This is a large shrub that
flowers in spring. Those flowers tend to smell yeasty at one point, rotten at another, or so I'm told. Fruit grows through the season until it is a large
2-6” yellow oblong. The flesh looks like a mango with big black seeds but is
soft enough to eat like custard and tastes
like banana, or melon depending on whom you ask.
This is the fruit world’s answer to the Aardvark.
SERVICEBERRY – few trees are as
special and underused as the Amelanchier or “Serviceberry” (or Sarvisberry,
Shadbush, Shadblow, Shadwood, Junebery, Saskatoon or SugarPlum) There are ~20
species of shrub to tree forms and all are a favorite of birds. Fresh fruits
have a blueberry/almond flavor but are usually tart. The Native American
food PEMMICAN sometimes had serviceberry fruits added with the meat and fat
before dried into a meat ‘leather’. A great fruit for pies
and jam and the tree has year round appeal. I happen to have serviceberry jam in my pantry right now.
WILD STRAWBERRY – these tiny
fruits were native to Europe as well. They have a
stronger taste than the hybridized strawberry and are special treats to eat,
but require a huge number for any other use, due to their size and small populations.
MAY APPLE – or Mayapple. Native to woodland borders in Eastern North
America. A curious umbrella shaped spring
plant related to the Mandrake, and yes, poisonous as well, except for the edible fruit. They
are not so tasty that you’d ever eat enough to get sick on, but the leaves and
roots are dangerous. Like other spring understory plants, the Mayapple dies
back by midsummer, but in this case, the fruit keeps growing on a small vine. Mayapples grow
in small clonal colonies and provided fruit for colonial
preserves.
AMERICAN PLUM – aka Wild Plum. A
true member of the plum and cherry family, Prunus americana is a wide-spread
native with pretty white blossoms in spring. A shrubby plant, it spreads by
suckers and colonists would have to compete with birds when the fruit ripened. Their sweet/sour taste can be enjoyed fresh, preserved or made into wine.
THIMBLEBERRY – a cousin of the
raspberry, found along the edge of woodlands. It’s a dense shrub but has no
prickly stems like raspberry. They are much more common in the western Great
Lakes area than the Eastern seaboard. (Carrie, have you eaten these?) Thimbleberries are a soft fruit and don’t
hold up or ship well, but great for pies and jam. Very seedy and sometimes
not very sweet. Jams are often ½ sugar, ½ fruit.
BEACH PLUM – or ‘Seaside Plum’
Prunus maritimus (I heart scientific names!) A shrubby plant, 3-7’ tall
that loves sandy soil. The blue fall fruit, smaller than imported plums, is now being grown
commercially for jam.
WILD BLACK CHERRY – a big tree
with tiny white blossoms in spring. This is a bitter fruit for most of our
palates. The pits and leaves can be poisonous (cyanide) and must be removed from pastures, but the fruit was used for pies and jams and the wood is still
sought after for furniture. Birds can make a mess with their purple stained droppings!
BLACK RASPBERRY -- not just from Oregon! They are also native to the east coast and are enjoyed fresh during
their 2-3 week harvest period as well as. . . you guessed it. . . perfect for pies and jams. I have a shrub next to my kitchen which provides 1/3 of the fun for Triple Berry Cobbler on Fourth of July.
BLUEBERRY – a cousin to the
cranberry and, in the wild, very non-committal about their harvest time-- May through August depending on weather and
altitude, and they prefer slopes and mountain sides, where they thrive on acidic soil. The ‘lowbush’ variety has a snazzy red leaf
in fall. Blueberries are white inside while Bilberries are purple inside –just in
case you are out wandering and need to know.
Blueberries are difficult to grow without nets as birds seem to know
exactly what day they are ripe (that’s my experience, anyway).
That's my list of native "Colonial" fruits. How many of these have you tried?