The forest pampers us with its gifts. Mushrooms and berries grow in it. Both of them are of two types: edible and inedible. The latter can not be eaten. Poisonous berries with untimely medical care can be fatal. But edible not only tasty, but also healthy. They contain a number of essential vitamins, fructose and glucose.
What berries grow in the forest and how to distinguish them?
Edible fruits are eaten not only by humans, but also by birds and animals. Therefore, if you stumbled upon a place with pecked berries on tree branches, on grass under a bush, then you should know that this is the first sign that nearby fruits are edible. Of course, if in doubt, it is better to ask a knowledgeable person who will tell you for sure whether or not wild berries of this species can be consumed.
Strawberries
And what can you eat? What wild berries are edible? The most famous is strawberries. How does she look? The berry is red in color and has a pleasant aroma. Flowering occurs from May to June. The fruits themselves are formed in June and until the end of July.
These forest berries grow on the edges, in the midst of shrubs or on dry slopes in small clearings. This type of berries in folk medicine is considered a diuretic. Dried fruits are beneficial. From them make infusions. Such funds contribute to the removal of salts from the human body. Relieve the condition in diseases of the liver and spleen. Juice from wild strawberries is recommended for vitamin deficiencies. It contributes to the normalization of the intestines and stomach, is useful for ulcers and gastritis.
Blackberry
Blackberry forest grows from May to winter. Flowers are both white and pink. The berry from the beginning of growth is solid and green. A little later it begins to blush, gradually acquiring a black and blue color with a light blue coating.
Blackberry leaves and fruits contain a tannin, which favorably affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is a mild astringent for diarrhea and various indigestion. It also helps to eliminate the common cold, flu, infectious diseases and diathesis.
Lingonberry
What other berries grow in the forest? Lingonberry is an evergreen shrub with branching forms. It grows in height up to twenty centimeters. This shrub has small leaves and thin rhizomes. Blossoms in white or pink flowers. This process starts from May to June. The berry ripens in August in clusters of bright red color.
Often lingonberries can be found in the coniferous forest. Sometimes these shrubs form continuous thickets. Note that the berry itself is useful fresh in chronic fatigue. Infusions and decoctions of lingonberry leaves save for inflammation of the kidneys and bladder. Lingonberry juice is used for high blood pressure.
Bird cherry
Flowering begins in May, and the berry ripens in July. Fruits are round, black. It can be found on the banks of rivers. Berries of bird cherry are an astringent, bactericidal agent enriched with vitamins.
Barberry
Barberry is a thorny shrub with a strong root system. Grows in the South and in the Crimea. Its flowers are small, racemose, bright yellow in color. Flowering occurs from May to June. Berries ripen in August and September. Remain until frost. The shape of the fruit is oblong. What color is the berry? Bright red. Can be grown as a home plant. It can be used as a choleretic agent for hepatitis.
Blueberries
These are bluish-black berries. The shrub itself blooms from May to June in marshy places or in shady forests. It is used as a decoction for intestinal disorders in infants. Contains many vitamins, minerals and organic acids. With diarrhea in young children, dried fruits are used. Fresh berries can cause the opposite effect. For external use, compresses from decoction are used for eye irritation and burns.
Medicinal berries
What berries grow in the forest and have medicinal properties? In fact, there are a lot of them, and they can grow in different territories of our country. Each species in its own way has a pleasant taste and can be used for various diseases.
Medicinal berries:
- Black mulberry - fragrant and juicy. It has a sweet and sour taste.
- White mulberry. It tastes very sweet.
- Elderberry is black. Fruits of black-violet color with juicy pulp. It grows in clusters with small berries.
- Dogwood. Berries are cylindrical or oval. Their length does not exceed two centimeters. Fruits are pink or dark red in color with a sweet and sour taste. The dogwood has a small bone inside.
- Stone berry. Bright red berry with a large stone in the middle.
- Sea buckthorn - orange berries, sour taste.
- Prince. It looks like the fruits of a blackberry or raspberry. May be red or pink.
- Viburnum. These berries are round, red, gathered in clusters. Useful viburnum with high blood pressure and colds.
How to eat fruits?
Wild berries are used fresh, dried, boiled and soaked. It is especially pleasant to cook jelly or compote from winter frozen berries in winter cold. You can also make a filling for the cake. She will certainly remind you of a fast-passing summer.
Due to processing at high temperature, any berry loses valuable vitamins, therefore it is better to preserve them by freezing.
Conclusion
Now you know what berries grow in the forest. We hope you find this information useful. As you can see, forest berries are not only tasty, but also incredibly healthy.