Bike Path Foraging: Frost Grapes

Get ready to forage frost grapes! I found shrubs with frost grapes along the Cap City Trail, but am waiting till after the first frost to harvest some, when they are at their most flavorful.  

Click here for some information to help you identify frost grapes. 

Bike Path Foraging: Elderberries

Elderberries are ripening along the bike path! I set out to find some for an elderberry cobbler recipe and discovered a large bush along the Cap City Trail near Lake Farm County Park.

Elderberry season is late August through early September. The raw berries are astringent and should be cooked before eating. When harvesting, first remove the full berry cluster and then remove the individual berries just before using. Also, only the blue or purple berries are edible - DO NOT eat red berries!

I'm new to foraging elderberries and have never cooked with them, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found the taste to be pleasant and they mixed well with blueberries in the cobbler.

A basic ethic of foraging is to not take any more than you need. Find a plant guide for elderberries here: http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=sanic4

Bike Path Foraging: Black Raspberries

On a recent trip to Mt. Horeb, Peter and I stopped for a fresh snack on the Military Ridge Trail. There were enough ripe black raspberries to munch on, but not quite enough to fill a container to bring home. The bramble had been cut back quite a bit from last year, plus many of the berries were still pink.

Anytime around late July, keep an eye out for a treasure patch of wild black raspberries!

Bike Path Foraging: Mulberries

Foraging wild foods is a fun and rewarding activity. A variety of edibles can be found along Madison's bike paths. If you are new to foraging, mulberries are easy to identify, tasty, and in season right now.

I received a tip on some low-hanging mulberries along the SW Commuter Trail, so I went on a ride to forage some to bake into muffins. Of course I snacked as I gathered - the bike ride had given me an appetite!

A note on the muffins: I'm a bit of a recipe hacker, substituting/adding this and that. To create these muffins I used a basic banana muffin recipe as a template. You can use mulberries in a recipe just like you would any other berry.