Fruits of the Mountains part 1

The Sierra Nevada mountain range has plenty of edible fruit as well as not so edible. Some fruit may be completely edible, some edible when cooked, and others not edible at all. In this post I will give a brief overview on some of the Fruits of the Mountains.

Prunus emarginata - Bitter Cherry

Bitter Cherry is high in Hydrogen Cyanide, which is toxic. Hydrogen Cyanide is volatile and destroyed by heat when cooked. This is a fruit you would not want to eat raw.

Streptopus amplexifolius - Twisted Stalk

Twisted Stalk berries are edible but have a slight laxative effect. The Berries have a cucumber like flavor.

Lonicera involucrata - Twin Berry

An Edible Berry from the Honey Suckle Family

Marah horridus - Wild Cucumber

While in the same family as the cucumber its not a true wild form of the domesticated cucumber. When cut in half the inside does resemble and smell like a cucumber. The flavor is that of cucumber with a bitter overtone. This fruit is very laxative. I do not recommend eating of this fruit as I have not been able to confirm if this is edible.

Rhamnus rubra - Sierra Coffeeberry

Sierra Coffeeberry is in the Buckthorn family and is not related to Coffee (Coffea spp.). The Berry has laxative propertied and is not recommended as edible.

Cornus nuttallii - Dogwood

Dogwood fruits are edible. The flavor is mild and not really noteworthy in my opinion. Dogwoods are found in shaded area growing under larger trees.

Ribes roezlii - Sierra Gooseberry

The Sierra Gooseberry has a lot of flavor and pulp for a wild berry. Because their are thorns on the outside of the fruit they can be a little tedious to pick and eat. If one cuts the fruit in half they can scoop out the pulp to enjoy.