FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL BERRIES

FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL BERRIES,,,

...VERY SWEET AND EDIBLE

Tuesday, 9:00 AM.  55 degrees F, wind SW, calm with light gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 82% and the barometer is holding pretty steady, currently at 30,2".  We are having absolutely fantastic fall weather.
   Buddy and I have been out a couple of times looking for grouse, we flushed one on Sunday but didn't get a shot in the heavy cover.  We are no threat what-so-ever to the grouse population and our hunts are mostly just good exercise.

   The false solomon's seal, Smilacina racemosa, in the Lily family,  often forms a beautiful understory mat in and on the edges of our mixed coniferous/deciduous woodlands.  This plant is a far northern species native to Canada, New England and the upper Midwest.  Its prominent racemes of white flowers are followed by yellow-orange spotted  berries about the size of a pea,  that eventually ripen to a mottled red.  The berries are not poisonous, and  upon my own inspection, are quite sweet, with a flavor reminiscent of strawberries and raspberries.  Each  berry has a single, comparatively large stone, but otherwise they are easy to pick and eat. I imagine they would make an excellent jam or jelly, and are usually quite plentiful. False Solomon's seal has had a variety of Native American medicinal uses in the past, particularly for female problems, and were gathered for food.

   My usual caution prevails here; do not eat any wild fruit, nuts or other plant parts unless you are sure of their identification and edibility.