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How to Tell If a Wild Berry Is Edible

There is no easy way to tell whether a wild berry is edible. If you have read a guide that describes red berries as edible, and black ones as poisonous, this is an oversimplification. There are both red and black berries that are highly toxic, such as the black bryony berries, which happen to be red, and the ivy berries, which are black. Some berries have both edible and toxic components, which makes selecting wild berries even more difficult. For instance, the yew berries produce a sweet juice, but its brown and black seed is toxic enough to kill.

Things You'll Need

Local plant guidebook

Instructions

- 1
  Choose the area where you plan to pick wild berries. If you are planning a hiking trip, find out which area you will be hiking through.
- 2
  List the wild berries you are likely to find in that area. Buy a local field guide on the area's plants and study the characteristics of both edible and toxic wild berries. Experience in the field is the best teacher for these type of skills. So if you are new to an area, go with an experienced berry-picker until you are familiar with the local plants.
- 3
  Look for wild varieties of berries you are familiar with. This will reduce your chances of picking a poisonous variety. The wild varieties look just like the ones we buy in the supermarket only smaller.
- 4
  Pick seedy-aggregate berries, those that are made of little clusters like raspberries, as no aggregate berry is known to be poisonous. In North America, there are many species of aggregate berries, such as blackberries, raspberries and bay berries, all of which are edible.

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