Thimbleberry! What's that?

Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. When you ask somebody what their favorite fruit is, if it's a berry it will probably be one of these. People are familiar with these berries, these are generally the berries that your local grocery store supplies and they're just downright tasty. This year I have spent a lot of time outdoors foraging and looking for edible and medicinal plants. I like to call them the "delicious wild edibles." Native peoples all around the world relied on hunting and gathering to make up a large part of their diets and food supply. We have the convenience of grocery stores and markets today to provide us with our food, but with that we are very limited on what foods we can have and sometimes we have to pay obscene prices for them. This is one of the reasons I love foraging and tending my own garden.

Ripe berry (middle). Unripe berries (sides).

A couple years ago I was camped next to a stream and noticed a plant that was flowering. The bud looked very similar to a raspberry bud but the leavers were HUGE, much bigger than any variety of raspberry leaf I had ever seen. Shortly after that outing I forgot about the plant. This year I remembered and returned to the spot I had previously camped, I identified the plant as a thimbleberry! I have since found about 12 other patches of thimbleberries in various areas. I have returned much since identifying the plant and harvested many of these berries. Thimbleberries look much like raspberries, I find they taste similar but have a much sharper flavor. That is the best way I can think of to describe their flavor. Thimbleberries generally aren't sold commercially because they fall apart so easily and don't ship or store well. A ripe thimbleberry can literally fall off the plant with the slightest touch. Native peoples' had many uses for the thimbleberry. Obviously you can eat the berry, and they are quite tasty. Younger plant shoots can be eaten as well, either peeled and raw or cooked. Personally I just prefer the berry. The leaves are actually so big and quite soft that they were often used as toilet paper (haven't tried that yet). Honestly I don't know how I missed this plant before, it's very noticeable and since learning what it is I feel like I see it just about everywhere. Any time you're dealing with plants whether for eating or medicinal purposes I ALWAYS recommend you start off using them in small increments. Even though some plant may be considered edible, you don't know if you will have allergic reactions. Be safe, be smart and enjoy those "delicious wild edibles!"