Hackberry Foraging and Hackberry Milk Recipe
Feb.08, 2011
Hackberries are so amazing!! They have fat, protein, carbohydrates, and tons of vitamins and minerals, making them a complete meal in and of themselves. Hackberry trees are prevalent throughout most of the United States. Therefore, they are an important fruit to know about for anyone who is committed to health, interested in survival skills, or desires to make wild food a large part of their diet. Below I have posted my hackberry foraging adventure and a recipe for a yummy drink you can make from your harvest…
As promised, here is a photo of what hackberry leaves (or sugarberry in our case) look like…
Sugarberry leaves have a unique appearance, making them easy to recognize. Usually you will find galls on them. Sometimes hackberries are called the “nettle tree” because it’s leaves bear a superficial resemblance to the leaves of stinging nettle.
Happy Foraging!
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March 10th, 2011 on 5:00 pm
Apparently, a “hackberry” is someone who uses a Blackberry phone to hack into computer systems. But the berries you talk about are much nicer.
The hackberry tree grows all around the world. In Africa it is known as “stinkwood”, probably because of all the rotting fallen berries and bird poo that can accumulate on the ground around it. The Chinese variety can be grown as a bonsai tree, but imagine how tiny the berries would be.
As you say, the hackberry tree is related to the elm. In England, elms have been all but wiped out by Dutch elm disease, but the hackberry tree is immune to it, suggesting the fruit may have medicinal benefits. The bark is used in very effective treatments for sexually transmitted diseases.
Next month, I am meeting up with wild food expert Robin Harford. I am hoping he can show me where there is a hackberry tree locally. Thanks for letting me know about this amazing little fruit.
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March 10th, 2011 on 9:31 pm
Rose, Good to hear from you, loved the video about the Hackberries.
David
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August 9th, 2011 on 4:14 pm
I was wondering if you had plans to free the front yard hackberry tree from its ivy prison. I can’t imagine that is doing the tree a benefit unless the tree has lost its structural integrity and the ivy is strenthening it.
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Rose Goddess Reply:
August 17th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
@Shannon Yes, we have tried a bit. The Ivy is quite resilient and we do not desire to use herbicides. Fortunately the hackberry tree seems to be able to handle it. Any suggestions?
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