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Blueberries or nightshade?

Wild low-bush blueberry plants. (Provided photo — Diane Chase)

I recently went hiking with friends, and while they continued to the summit, I stayed on the false top to pick blueberries. We all have our own goals.

While I maneuvered around the fragile alpine growth, I could hear a large group of hikers walking along the tree line. I nestled among the low-bush blueberry bushes. There weren’t many ripe berries, so it took some searching to cover the bottom of my container. A voice nearby exclaimed, “Wild blueberries!” I know that level of excitement. My children have eaten more berries than they’ve collected. I’ve tossed out shirts stained from my kids wiping blueberry juice from their fingers.

Another voice quickly answered, “Don’t eat those. It’s nightshade.”

I go through a list of emotions all at the same time. My brain second guesses that I know what a blueberry plant looks like, and I will most likely die. My brain also laughs at me, second-guessing myself while my mouth continues to inhale freshly-picked blueberries. My conscience is guilty because I wonder if these people think this is nightshade, then I will be left with more berries for my friends. I give myself emotional whiplash while deciding, within a few seconds, to let the people know these are wild blueberries.

I don’t know enough about deadly nightshade to understand if it usually grows near blueberries or is found on mountaintops. I’m familiar with various plants in the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant) but this person is referring to Atropa belladonna. I know this because the next words uttered are: “Nightshade is belladonna and is poisonous.”

For the record, I am not an expert forager, and I respect that this group of hikers did not trust a stranger to educate them on what blueberries look like. They were cautious and decided against eating mountaintop fruit.

Though I did go home and extensively research the difference between blueberries and other fruits, the best advice I can give is to learn from those hikers. Don’t eat anything on the trail unless you can positively identify what you eat. Always be cautious and trust your instincts. Even though this person was incorrect, leaving the berries for someone else is better than making a mistake you regret.

I managed to gather enough blueberries for everyone in our group to taste. Yes, I picked blueberries. Keep in mind, if you aren’t confident in your foraging skills, there are domestic berry-picking places. Try Vermontville’s Norman Ridge Blueberry Field where high-bush blueberries are $5 per quart. Look for the signs on state Route 3. You can hone your berry-picking skills while feeling confident that the product is 100% edible. Stay safe.

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