Cape Breton's Magazine

Edible Wild Berries of Cape Breton Beginning here and continuing along the bottom mar? gins of the magazine, we offer some edible wild ber? ries found on Cape Breton • berries not merely edible but delicious and worth the trouble gathering thera. We've talked to Cape Bretoners and used these guides: The Flora of N.S, by Roland and Smith, Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America by Fernald and Kinsey, Edible Wild Plants by Medsger and Trees of N.S. by Saunders. Here are a basic jam and jelly recipe you can apply to most berries. Please write and tell us of other ways of preparing wild fruits in your home • or in your grandmother's home. Chokecherry Jelly: Cut up apples and cook berries and apples together in enough water to cover, till fruit is soft. Drain juice through a cotton bag o- ver-night. Don't squeeze it or the jelly will be cloudy. Measure the liquid in cups and use 2/3 as much sugar as juice. Heat the sugar separately in a pan over a gentle heat, then put heated sugar into hot juice. Boil until the jelly stage. To test: stir with a wooden spoon, lift spoon and cool it a little, and if it comes off the spoon in a sheet • not a drip • it's jelly. • from Jeannette Miller, N, E. Margaree. 00'' <''->' "'.J''' ??~o'''. Bakeapple Jam: Wash and v/eigh berries. Add 3/4 of a pound of granulated sugar to each pound of ber? ries. Place together in a container and let stand overnight. Next morning, put berries on to cook, bringing slowly to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes or a little more. Pour at once into hot sterilized jars and seal. • from Sandra Ferguson, Sydney. Mr. Moore of North Sydney loves to pick berries. He folloxvs the order of their ri? pening right through the summer and on into the fall. He told us you can pick a lot of berries in very little time if you make a berry picker. A large Crisco can works fine. You solder 3/16-inch diameter welding rods onto the slightly flattened lip of the can, the rods about 4 inches long and 3/8-inch apart. You can hold it as pic? tured or you can add a handle such as a strip of leather on top. If you push the can into the berries you'll mush them, but if you simply insert the tines under the ber? ries and lift up it will work just fine. Mr, Moore added that if you don't wait un? til the end of each berry's season, you often get a lot of green berries in among the ripe ones. But he's found if you put the berries in water most of the green ones will float. And because you'll be picking quite a few leaves, you'll have to winnow the berries. Mr. Moore does this by dumping the berries from one pan to another through the airstream of a fan, i Cape Breton's '' MAGAZINE Edited & Published by Ronald Capian .JUNE 1974 WRECK COVE CAPE BRETON NOVA SCOTIA This issue. Number 8, is 32 pa'es and sells for $1,00, The first seven issues were 24 pages for 75 cents. Future issues will be either 24 or 32 pages. Subscription rates have not changed: $4,50 for 6 issues. Anywhere in the ivorld. Our thanks to V.'arren Gordon, Christopher Moore and Robert Haller for help preparing this issue. NOW AVAILABLE'aCollectors' Edition Issues 1 through 6 - Our First Year - in One Book 168 pages - $3.75