Now Forage

Grape: Berries fully coloured and slightly soft. Stem where it joins the bunch turns woody and brown. Seeds easily visible inside. Sweet throughout when fully ripe — taste from different parts of the cluster as they ripen unevenly. Grapes do not continue ripening after harvest.

Sassafras: Dark blue-black berries on red stalks. Edible but rarely used. The bark and roots (root beer flavour) contain safrole — regulated. Young leaves can be dried and ground as filé powder for gumbo.