Edible Berries of Northern Canada

I compiled this little ID guide for myself, after a few hours of research through various databases, the most helpful were Plants for a Future and Wikipedia's List of Wild Foods. I chose the ones that I believe to grow in my area and passed through my criteria of usefulness. Some were old friends, like the raspberry and blueberry, but others like the Cloudberry and Crabapple are ones I will be enjoying safely in the future. I would like to make a similar list for edible greens, but I don't have the knowledge required to ID them properly, I think I would be waiting to die when I tried a new leaf. Going to have to wait for personal guidance on the salad material.

Canada Buffaloberry

· A Low shrub growing in the undergrowth of taller species, growing up to 3 m tall
· Green, oval leaves with silvery, hairy underside
· Yellow flowers and reddish berries with a bad taste
· Berries are high in vitamin C, Can brew to make tea to remedy nausea
· Grows near Shores, riverbanks, dry slopes, moist north slopes, open rocky woods, and occasionally in calcareous marshes
· Useful for making a flavouring paste similar to cranberry sauce- Crush, remove pits, add water

Cloudberry

· Berries grow in solitary, very low lying
· Flowers in June and July, fruits in August
· Berries are high in Vitamin C, Can brew the leaf into a healing tea
· Grows near bogs, marshes, wet meadows and requires sun exposure
· Makes excellent jam or jelly, or as an addition to wild salads or fish dishes

Saskatoon Berry / Juneberry

· Ripen in late June/Early July
· Oval leaves, grow in clusters
· Grows near woodland gardens, sunny edges, dappled shade
· Eaten raw, can be dried, tea can be brewed from leaves

American Elderberry

· Poisonous leaves, stems and unripe fruit. Ripe fruit can be cooked as a precaution to remove toxins
· Grows in Rich moist soils along streams and rivers & woodland margins
· Flower in July, ripen in September
· Ripe berries can be eaten raw, cooked in bread, pie, jelly, or dried

Blackberry

· Grows near dry thickets, clearings and woodland margins
· Ripens in August and September
· Berries can be eaten raw, dried or cooked. Spring shoots can be peeled and eaten

Blueberry

· Grows in Dry open barrens, peats and rocks
· Berries ripen in July
· Berries can be dried, cooked, raw. Tea can be · brewed from dried berries and leaves

Raspberry

· Grows near moist neglected land, hedge rows, depressions and woodland edges
· Berries ripen July to September
· Tea can be brewed from leaves

Crabapple

· Grow in thickets, usually 4-12' in height
· Tart taste, best in combination with other berries for juices or jams