# Are Wild Fruits Actually Any Good? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 2, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176 "2012-08-02T14:41:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/21 "2012-08-02T18:04:16Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > The one rule I always follow is that I have to positively identify the fruit or I won’t touch it. A couple blocks from here is a tree covered with pretty red berries I cannot identify, but I note that even the birds don’t touch them. Nor will I. I do wonder, though, how such a fruit evolves since it appears to be serving no biological function that I can see. They may be immigrants from another land where there was something that ate them. Perhaps people thought they were pretty and planted them for looks or a wind break or basket weaving or something. They continue to grow either by runners or rhizomes or when the berries drop off and rot on the ground. For some plants, fruits are only one way they reproduce, and the way they spread over greater distances, but they have a back up plan to reproduce close to the mother plant. And yeah - where I go camping in western New York, there are TONS of these gorgeous gem like big bright red berries…that absolutely nothing ever eats. Not sure what they are, but if the deer and bears and birds don’t want them, I’m not going to be the one to try them! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/22 "2012-08-02T18:30:46Z")
Not eating something you haven’t identified is a good idea, but don’t go by no one else eating them - we have tons of delicious [nanking cherry bushes](http://www.selectseedlingnursery.com/graphics/nanking.jpg) around here, and I feel like I’m the only person who knows that the cherries are edible and delicious - people just don’t eat them here. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/23 "2012-08-02T18:36:28Z")
Wild fruit is often smaller but I feel wild fruit tends to be tastier than domestic hybrids. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/24 "2012-08-02T20:29:13Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > Wild strawberries used to grow around here and they were not very good. Rather dry and sour. There are several species of _Fragaria_ that are called “wild strawberries”. One type frequently found as weeds in lawns, etc, are truly awful. Those have cardboardy, horrible fruits. The alpine variety, _Fragaria vesca_, is the one to eat. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/25 "2012-08-02T20:41:17Z")
I don’t know if oats are considered fruit, but sowing wild oats is really fun. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/26 "2012-08-02T20:50:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **Jophiel** > Paw-paws are ugly as sin and look even uglier as they ripen, transport terribly and you’ll never find them in a large grocer’s produce department. But my wife loves them to death and I find them enjoyable as an annual treat. They have sort of a custard-esque consistency. > > I guess you can’t compare them to a non-existent domestic version however. > [@WhyNot](#): > > Yummm…can’t say as I’ve ever had one, but the description sounds something like a [cherimoya](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina). Obviously not the same fruit, but a tropicalish custardy stringy-near-the-skin fruit with big ugly seeds. > > Wikipedia says they’re in the same family, but not of the same species. Those do sound good! It seems like I’ve run across them before, but I had no idea what they were. Definitely going to go out looking for them in a few weeks! I wonder if the lack of rain will keep them from fruiting? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/27 "2012-08-02T21:22:36Z")
Those Cape Cod beach plums look good to me - and I agree with **RealityChuck** - plum jam should be tart. I wish they grew here in England - but we’ve got something fairly similar - the Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera), although this year, they’ve hardly any fruit on them because of a sharp frost right at blossom time. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/28 "2012-08-02T21:30:32Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > From Oregon to BC, the entire Pacific coast is awash with wild blackberries. When I am there, I go out and eat them right off the vines. They are way better than bought berries. And free. We have them all over the Sacramento valley as well. The wild blackberries we pick near a local creek are plump, juicy, and more flavorful than the store-bought ones, altho smaller. Due to the heat, they are all withering now, but we got enuf in the past couple of weeks to make a number of jars of wild blackberry jam. Due to the intense flavor, we were able to use a lot less sugar than with the store-bought ones. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/29 "2012-08-02T22:36:38Z")
Ah, the joy of wild black raspberries. Quite yummy- they don’t taste like red raspberries or blackberries. I once sampled some wild grapes in Mistletoe State park in Georgia that had the exact same flavor as grape flavored bubble gum. I believe they’re called muscadines. Mulberries are delectable and can’t be bought in a store. I also used to eat a lot of red haws, but I don’t know where any are any more. I have about an acre of wild blackberries, but there have been droughts every year I’ve lived here, limiting their potential. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/30 "2012-08-02T23:50:28Z")
I’m surprised to hear that drought has slowed down your blackberries. They grow like weeds all over the Southeast, and drought doesn’t seem to phase them. Someone inquired about wild tomatoes. Currant tomato seeds are what you want to buy. They are smaller than commercially-grown blueberries by about half. ---
**Author:** ![nogravity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@nogravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nogravity)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/31 "2012-08-03T01:06:14Z")
I’ve had wild sea grapes before and they were good. And I know people who eat queen palm fruit right off the ground. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/32 "2012-08-03T01:34:34Z")
Living in Cameroon, I had the opportunity to eat all kinds of fruits that I had previously never known existed. For the most part this was for a good reason- they had large seeds, very little flesh, bland taste, and were otherwise just way too much work for what you got. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/33 "2012-08-03T01:47:13Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Wild strawberries are far sweeter and more flavorful than their store bought cousins.. Hmm, the only wild strawberries I’ve seen are very small - little more than bloated seeds. However, I do agree that grocery store strawberries are nothing but pink sponges, and blue berries aren’t much better. I really miss season specific berries. I only buy frozen berries now. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/34 "2012-08-03T01:53:40Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Hmm, the only wild strawberries I’ve seen are very small - little more than bloated seeds. However, I do agree that grocery store strawberries are nothing but pink sponges, and blue berries aren’t much better. I really miss season specific berries. Try the organic varieties. I’ve found that the organic berries (blueberries especially) tend to be _much_ sweeter and larger. Mmm, if I always had the choice, I’d never _not_ buy organic (when it comes to berries at least). ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/35 "2012-08-03T02:03:59Z")
I’ll go with what everyone else said about blueberries. As for strawberries, the wild ones I’ve had have been very good, but not significantly better than the best farm-grown ones (we live near SC, and from farmstands get the best freakin’ strawberries and peaches ever). And I won’t even touch domestic blackberries, they’re so bland. A good wild blackberry, IMO, will have an intense bitter edge a bit like the edge of strong coffee or tea, and that wild bitterness is heavenly. I’ve gotten marriage proposals off of my blackberry pie. ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/36 "2012-08-03T02:29:23Z")
The best fruit I have ever eaten were commercial varieties, but vine (or tree) ripened. I once went to a “pick your own” strawberry farm (in New Jersey) late in the season. The whole farm smelled like strawberry jam. They did not last long, but they were the best. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/37 "2012-08-03T02:39:35Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Try the organic varieties. I’ve found that the organic berries (blueberries especially) tend to be _much_ sweeter and larger. Mmm, if I always had the choice, I’d never _not_ buy organic (when it comes to berries at least). This makes me wonder what the break down between people who like big, sweet blueberries, or smaller sourer/more tart ones is. [So here’s a poll](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=660725). ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/38 "2012-08-03T22:51:27Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Try the organic varieties. I’ve found that the organic berries (blueberries especially) tend to be _much_ sweeter and larger. Mmm, if I always had the choice, I’d never _not_ buy organic (when it comes to berries at least). Are we discussing wild grown v. cultivated, or something else? I have a lawn full of tiny little wild strawberries, and a couple of heirloom cultivated blueberries … ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/39 "2012-08-03T23:54:08Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Are we discussing wild grown v. cultivated, or something else? > [@j666](#): > > However, I do agree that grocery store strawberries are nothing but pink sponges, and blue berries aren’t much better. > I only buy frozen berries now. I was responding to this; suggesting that organic selections of store-bought berries are much better. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176/40 "2012-08-03T23:59:05Z")
An example of an excellent wild fruit - serviceberries (Amelanchier species). They’re small compared to blueberries (especially the supermarket grown-on-steroids kind), but quite tasty. Our lone serviceberry bush bore a bumper crop this year and the serviceberries were good in muffins and on cereal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wild-fruits-actually-any-good/630176.md?page=3)