Now Forage

Black elderberry: Clusters of deep purple-black berries; cut entire clusters. Never eat raw — cook thoroughly (destroys sambunigrin). Ripe when all berries on the cluster are uniformly dark and the cluster droops. High in antioxidants; excellent syrup.

Black locust: Flowers (white, fragrant clusters) are edible in May and can be eaten raw, fried in batter, or made into syrup. The seeds and green pods are toxic — do not eat. Harvest flowers only.

Dog rose: Oval, bright red to orange-red hips. Ripe when uniformly red and slightly soft. Excellent for rosehip syrup. Always remove the irritating inner seeds.