Photo by David Anderson on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · photographed specimen identified as Juniperus communis kelleyi, a close relative
Juniper berries
Juniperus communis
This one has a dangerous look-alike
Common juniper is the one to use. Avoid ornamental junipers and any yew — flat needles, red fleshy cups, toxic.
- When
- Typically September – November — September, October, November. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it grows
- Dry rocky slopes, barrens and open woods.
- How to know it
- Low spiky evergreen with needles in whorls of three, each with a white stripe on top; the 'berries' are fleshy blue cones that take two years to ripen.
- Harvest and use
- Dry and use for game, sauerkraut and gin-style flavouring. A few go a long way.
- Caution
- Not for use in pregnancy or in large amounts.
Found in these regions
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Also ready in September
FruitAugust – SeptemberBeach plum
Prunus maritima
Low sprawling shrub in the sand, with dusty purple plums about the size of a marble.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
NutSeptember – OctoberBlack walnut
Juglans nigra
Tennis-ball green husks lying under a tall tree with long compound leaves; the husk stains everything it touches brown.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0
FruitAugust – SeptemberChokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Long drooping clusters of dark red-to-black cherries on a small tree with finely toothed oval leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.