A backyard berry hunt in Oregon reminded people that, even when fruit looks familiar, you should be 100% sure of what you're foraging to avoid harm.
In this case, a Reddit user in the Pacific Northwest thought the fruit in a neighbor's overgrown yard looked like blackberries, but were concerned since a poisonous lookalike, pokeweed, was growing nearby too.
What happened?
The user explained in a Reddit post, "We have blackberries everywhere in the PNW. This is my neighbors unruly backyard, and I was thinking of taking blackberries. They certainly wouldn't notice."
They continued, "Also, I know that there are pokeweed berries to the left of the blackberries. I know pokeweed is poisonous, and I'll leave those alone."
One commenter replied, "Yep those are Himalayan blackberries, just grab the ones that practically fall off when you touch them and leave any red or firm ones for another day."
On the other hand, another person warned, "the blackberries have pokeberries next to them and pokeberries are poisonous so you should leave those alone."
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Why does it matter?
Correctly identifying what you want to eat is only part of the equation. In a dense patch, nearby toxic plants can easily overlap.
Gardening can help families save money on produce, enjoy fresher and better-tasting fruit, and support mental and physical health. One study in Singapore even highlighted these positive effects, linking gardening to higher levels of optimism and less stress among study participants.
Spending time in nature foraging can likely provide similar benefits. But in order to fully reap all of them, it's important to ID what you pick properly to avoid illness or even death.
What can I do?
If you want to forage, make sure to do your research. Try checking out a guide from your local library, or learn from a trusted expert online.
If you want fresh berries without the uncertainty of mixed wild patches, one option is to start a food garden or berry bed of your own. Doing so gives you more control over what you eat. And you might even be able to get seeds from produce you're already buying.
If plant management in your outdoor space is difficult, there are also ways to control what grows without spending money on expensive products.
What are people saying?
As for the Redditor mentioned above, some users even suggested other creative ways of not letting the pokeweed go to waste.
One person suggested, "...could dye wool with the pokeweed though…"
Another person replied, "It also makes for nice colorful Ink."
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