Hiking the Dickerman Mountain Trail in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest last fall, I stumbled across a meadow filled with oval–leaved blueberries (Vaccinium ovalifolium). Having taken field botany courses, I felt confident I could identify toxic berries from edible berries and popped a few of these sun-baked mountain blueberries in my mouth. Delicious!
During late summer and early fall, the Pacific Northwest is surrounded by many edible species of berries. The edible berries include, among others, Alaskan Blueberry, Black Huckleberry, Dwarf Bilberry and Evergreen Huckleberry, which are all plants from the Vaccinium genus. And, Rubus genus plants such as, Salmon Berry, Black Raspberries, Thimbleberry, Himalayan Blackberry and Dewberries.
In addition to selective berry picking in the mountains, local berry farms, such as Mercer Slough Blueberry Farm or Larsen Lake Blueberry Farm; both in Bellevue or Remlinger Farms in Carnation are always popular picks. There are many other U-picks throughout Washington and Oregon or visit of the many farmers’ markets in your neighborhood, most now offer organic products as well. (See below for useful Web sites.)
In my practice, I recommend a serving of berries as a daily staple in the diet. Berries are especially beneficial for those with diabetes, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and certain inflammatory disorders. They are also helpful for wellness and disease prevention.
The medicinal properties of many berries include flavonoid and flavonoid compounds such as anthocyanins, quercetin, and resveratrol. These phytonutrients are thought to protect blood vessels from free radicals and can reduce inflammation due to their powerful antioxidant properties. Berries are generally rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Manganese, and fiber which add to their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effect. Some berries, like Bilberry, have been known to stabilize blood sugar levels.
Please remember that some berries have oxalates in them (especially blueberries), so if you are known to form gallstones or kidney stones, you may want to avoid certain types of berries.
And, if you do happen to come upon some delicious looking berries on your next hike, be sure you're familiar with the toxic and non-toxic varieties of berries before eating them. You can find out information on some toxic and non-toxic plants in Washington by visiting the Washington Poison Center Web site at www.wapc.org.
Happy picking!
Adam Rinde, ND is a licensed Naturopathic Physician in practice in Bellevue, Washington. You can visit Dr. Rinde’s Web site at www.drrinde.com or email him at DrRinde@SoundIntegrative.com.
Enjoy Your Berries
How do you enjoy berries? Many of my patients choose to have berries in a morning smoothie (email me for my smoothie recipe at drrinde@SoundIntegrative.com). Or, try adding a handful of berries to a salad or in your morning cereal. For dessert, try eating them over a cup of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt. If you like berries in a supplement form, New World Naturals has a wonderful blend of berry extracts that you can consume by the spoonful; called Very Berry (www.neworldnaturals.com). – Adam Rinde
Good Pickin’s
Farmers’ Markets:
www.wafarmersmarkets.com/
www.oregonfarmersmarkets.org/
State by state listing of U-Pick farms:
www.pickyourown.org |
