The Little-Known Edible Berry

By Tanya Sousa

I grew up in Northern Vermont without realizing that a particular bush, fairly tall and sometimes tree-like with berries that start green, grow red, and then ripen fully to a blue-black from mid-September into October has a common name of “Nannyberry Bush” and a more garden-esque name of Viburnum lentago. What I also didn’t know until a few years ago is that the nannyberries are edible – and downright delicious if you like raisins, prunes and the flavor of ripe bananas, which I do. If you are like my once-colleague Joseph, who “affectionately” calls raisins “Little nuggets of hate”, then you might not want to rush right out to find a nannyberry bush to harvest from, although now is the season!

As with everything foraged, if this particular viburnum is not something you planted in your garden knowing exactly what it is, you want to assure you have the right thing before happily filling a basket or snacking on a hike. The bark on older stems is grayish-brown with shallow furrows and a slightly scaly texture. Young twigs are smooth and reddish-brown to gray, often with small, raised dots. One distinguishing feature is the distinctly flattened, winged leaf-stems that help separate it from other viburnums. Leaves are arranged opposite from each other on the branches. Each leaf is oval to elliptical with a pointed tip and finely serrated edges. The leaf top is dark green and glossy, while the underside is paler. In fall, the leaves transform into beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and reddish-purple, often with multiple colors on one shrub. The fruit has a single flat seed inside.

Once you identify that what you’ve found is truly a nannyberry bush, and if you do like the flavor of raisins and prunes (by the way, another common name for the bush is “wild raisin”, and it’s clear why), fill your basket and take them home. There are some wonderful treats to make from the nannyberries.

When I first discovered what nannyberries are and that they are edible, I went down the rabbit hole of research on how to eat them. You can eat them as they are, but then there is a seed to spit, and I’m not a seed-spitting type. I found information on one of my favorite sites for cooking with wild edibles – “The Forager Chef”. My basic takeaway was making “Nannyberry Butter or Puree” that can be enjoyed as a spread or as an ingredient. The Forager Chef puts maple syrup in his, but as he comments in his post I’ll link at the end of this paragraph, it’s really quite sweet as it is. I never add sweetener. Instead, I place some honey and maple on the table as an option if friends/family/guests want to mix some in. Alan, the Forager Chef, mentions a number of ways you can use the nannyberry butter as an ingredient. My favorites have been as a replacement for bananas in whatever your favorite banana bread recipe is (nanny berry bread!), to top cereal of nearly any kind and on baked brie. I’ve used it in smoothies too. https://foragerchef.com/nannyberry-maple-butter/

The other wonder of this bush is that a wide variety of birds and mammals eat them when other food is scarce. Those little blue-black jewels may shrivel on the stems, but they stay put well into the winter. When I foraged my basket of berries last year, two robins were in the upper branches having a meal. “Don’t worry!” I called up to them. “I’ll leave plenty for you!” I always do. I know how important winter-available foods are for wildlife. It’s tough enough for them to get by without a greedy author snagging all the goods.

I walked my little dog a few hours before writing this article. We strolled down a neighbor’s long driveway, where we’re welcome to be, and entered a hayfield. There in the center is a tall tree surrounded by nannyberry bushes. I checked to see if they’re ready, and, yes, there are a good number of ripe clusters. Others are still in the process of ripening even though it’s the end of September; I’ll leave those for wildlife and will still have a decent-sized basketful. I see nannyberry bread with cream cheese in my near breakfast future!