Trail Tip 39: Efficient Berry Picking

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Snacking on berries while hiking is a delicious bonus to summer hiking in many parts of North America. Huckleberries, thimbleberries, raspberries and blueberries are some of the most common (and tasty) berries that hikers might encounter when hitting the trails. Wild strawberries are ridiculously tasty, but a bit more rare and time consuming to gather – consider yourself lucky if you have a handful even after a half-hour of searching and picking. Thimbleberries are best consumed promptly, since they don't travel very well, but most other berries are more durable and – if you resist the temptation...

In our Issue 39 Trail Tip, @Mark details tips for efficiently picking berries on the trail. Check it out below in Issue 39:

Efficient Berry Picking

Issue 39 Page 1

[K. Urs Grutter]

Be aware of some caveats though - as much as we liked to snack on berries over here in Switzerland when I was a boy, I stopped it because of the  prevalence of the fox-tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis). So check with the local hazards, before you start snacking...

[ppine]

You have to be at the right place at the right time.  Best berry picking has been Minnesota, Washington and Alaska.  I really like huckleberries and salmon berries best. 

[jay]

I love my blackberries, I try to make sure to get out and about when they are in season.