This past fall, after hiking the entire Colorado Trail (and then some extra miles) I landed in Durango, Colorado and set up my primitive bell tent and started harvesting the fruit still available around town and on the river. I did miss the Juneberries, but other fruits were still in full force.
I gathered Hawthorn berries for medicine making, but these fruits are also good for eating. Hawthorn is in the rose family and it has fruits that resemble mini-apples, as many rose family plants have similar looking swollen ovules. I usually add thorns and leaves to my medicine too! The medicine works well for maintaining heart health, both physically and spiritually. I've certainly needed that the past few years.
I gathered Eleagnus berries, A local Buffaloberry. There are many species of Eleagnus that are native to different areas around the world, and many others are used in permaculture plantings as a nitrogen fixer and for their edible berries. We ended up making 'ketchup' from these fruits, and used it on EVERYTHING. They taste tart and slightly astringent. When cooked with onions, garlic, salt and curry spice it really becomes a nice savory treat.
Apricots! We gathered them for bitters formulas and to dry for later use. We also made mead! We ate a ton fresh.
Italian Plums! These plums are more sweet and savory than tart. We gathering a few basketsfuls and pitted them, dried the plums insides out in the sun. In Colorado, you can do that! We saved the pits for replanting.
Chokecherries! Chokecherries are pretty astringent, but crushed fresh and dried in patties, nut and all, they are so incredibly tasty. The nuts have cyanide, and like many rose family relatives, the cyanide is rendered inert when exposed to the air. The nuts are nutritious and mixed with the fruit make a great snack.
Gooseberries are tart and flavorful. These are easy to propagate in the wild, layering their branches to take root. These fruits were extra lush and juicy. We ate these fresh.
Apples of course! Around Durango, feral Apples are aplenty. There are planted ones from back in the first days of European settlement and bears have planted other trees through their poop. It's amazing to see what varieties come out of the seeds planted, which aren't true to their parents. You never know what you're going to get. We pressed cider, dried apples and also made apple cider vinegar and hard cider. @ofsedgeandsalt
What a bounty you have all around you! I'm constantly amazed at America's biodiversity.
I've been eyeing off all the hawthorn - an import from European settlement - ready to make some medicine this year. What do you find the best way to prepare it is?
I do a couple things. In the Spring, you can do a flower harvest and tincture in vodka, or do a honey infusion.. and then I gather leaves and thorns and do a tincture, chopping those up a bunch to break them open. Then, once late summer into early fall rolls around, when the fruits ripen, which look like little tiny apples I harvest them and crush them a bit until they are a mash of sorts and then put them all into a jar and tincture, or make a honey or vinegar infusion OR a honey and vinegar (called an oxymel). Then when they are all finished macerating, I mix them together. Sometimes (as I did this fall) I also mix this with Rose flower and hip tincture and or oxymel. It is SO TASTY.
Very beautiful photos! Nostalgia for summer =)
I'm feeling that too... a lot of these were from the fall, right as summer was ending. I made mead, dried fruit, canned.. cider... went a little crazy.
Sounds like a berry wonderful season of gathering. Berries are so delightful.
I'm enjoying eating all the fruits now that winter is here! Especially the dried pears.
Beautiful and fresh! You're lucky one to have them around. I've very much affection to trees and cultivation. Extra miles always brings something happier ☺.
I love the process of putting them up, and saving what would have been wasted otherwise.
Nice one 👍, you have a good day dear.
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