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The delicious ‘wild wonderberry’

October 1, 2019 Erica M. Davis 22 Comments

black-nightshade-Colorado

I am just back from the Midwest Wild Harvest Festival, where a big bowl of black nightshade berries (Solanum nigrum complex) dressed the banquet table at Friday’s annual wild potluck. Foragers there are well-versed in the edibility of these diminutive wild treats, which are in the same family as tomatoes, eggplants, and chilies, not to mention a cultivated vegetable called “wonderberry” or “sunberry” that was brought to the prairie states by Volga German immigrants.

Edible black nightshade berries (Solanum nigrum complex). Photo by Gregg Davis
See the plant material with pointed bracts attached to the berry? That’s called a “calyx.” Those on black nightshade berries (pictured) are small. Those on the toxic belladonna (below) are significantly bigger. Photo by Gregg Davis

Many people think black nightshade berries are deadly poisonous, apparently due to a confusion of common names with belladonna, a very poisonous, black berry-producing plant that is often referred to as “deadly nightshade.” Confusingly, members of the black nightshade group are also sometimes referred to as “deadly nightshade,” even though their ripe berries are not deadly but instead totally edible. Foraging author Samuel Thayer explains this in his book Nature’s Garden (2010), where he debunks the “black nightshade is poisonous” myth based on extensive research and first-hand experience, and provides the definitive account on how to identify, prepare, and eat black nightshade berries and (young, boiled) greens.

Fortunately belladonna is not common in the U.S., and is furthermore easily distinguished from black nightshade species. It has shiny berries (compared to the often-matte-finish of black nightshade berries), a large calyx that is more than twice as wide as the berry (compared to black nightshades’ small calyx), leaves that are rarely bug-eaten (compared to the often bug-eaten leaves of black nightshade), and singly-borne fruit (compared to the cluster-borne fruits of black nightshade), Thayer explains. Belladonna also has purple flowers, whereas those on black nightshade are whitish.

The calyx on the poisonous plant belladonna, or deadly nightshade, is many times larger. Distinction courtesy of Nature’s Garden by Samuel Thayer. Photo credit: “Atropa belladonna”by anro0002 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

There are other toxic nightshades. Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) produces purple flowers and bright red, oblong berries—so if you can tell fire-engine red from black you should be able to avoid eating this one by accident. Other Solanums in our region produce yellow to green berries. This account is only about those that produce purple-black to dark black berries.

Black nightshades are common to disturbed and agricultural areas around the world, including the lower elevations of Colorado and surrounding states, and east across the Great Plains to the Eastern Woodlands. Hence, road stops along my annual pilgrimage to Wisconsin for the festival are often fruitful. I have collected black nightshade in late September around a fishing pond in eastern Colorado, a well-trafficked trail system in Iowa, and a public parking area in Wisconsin. I’ve also found it growing as a common weed in plenty of places around Denver, including a farm where the gentleman leading our tour noted its similarity to the “wonderberry” of his childhood, with fond recollections of his grandmother’s wonderberry jams and sauces.

black-nightshade-CO
Black nightshades of the Solanum nigrum complex have simple, alternate leaves that are roughly triangular or diamond-shaped, lobed or wavy-margined, and often bug-eaten.

The black nightshades are sprawling plants whose foliage and flowers evoke that of potatoes or tomatoes, but the leaves are simple rather than compound. The berries are full of soft seeds like tiny black tomatoes. Often, I’ll find a plant loaded with berries whose leaves have started to yellow, dry, and fall. The berries on such plants are usually plenty ripe, which is good as Sam advises sticking to ripe berries without green striping. He also suggests starting with small quantities and working your way up, and to not eat the berries if they taste bitter or unpleasant to you.

A reclining tumble of black nightshade berries. Photo by Gregg Davis
A reclining tumble of black nightshade berries, foraged in early October 2017 in eastern Colorado, in a disturbed area on a sloped bank next to a fishing pond. Photo by Gregg Davis

To me black nightshade berries are reminiscent of tomatoes, but sometimes have an edge of bitter at the finish, or a bit of bite like a chili. They cook down to the deepest, most brilliant purple. I love them cooked with sugar as a dessert sweet, whether on ice cream or highlighted by whatever baked goods I can dream up.

Black nightshade berries cook down to an intense purple, perfect with sugar for an ice cream sauce.
Slightly sweetened, this intensely purple black nightshade or “wild wonderberry” sauce is perfect over ice cream or pancakes, if WFG can be kept out of the kitchen until dessert.

Savory preparations are fun too, from salads to my latest favorite—cooked with peppers, onions, and pork into a green (purple) chili, to be spooned over tamales, enchiladas, or breakfast burritos.

Black nightshade pork green chile over a tamale, yum!

I swear, I need to spend more time in the prairie! For those of you living in parts lower, however, I hope the “wild wonderberry” makes a great new addition to your foraging repertoire, if you are not already eating it.

edible, fall, featured, plants, useful info black nightshade, Colorado, Solanum, sunberry, wild food, wonderberry

Comments

  1. Silvia says

    October 8, 2019 at 4:28 pm

    I had no idea some varieties of nightshade had edible berries! I live in Denver had some take up residence in my yard recently, but the berries were red.

  2. Mylie Cottingham says

    October 10, 2019 at 2:37 pm

    Hi. I’m originally from eastern Colorado, and noticed that you said you had found some of these by a fishing pond in eastern Colorado. Can you tell me what pond, and what town? Maybe when I go to visit my parents I can look there. I’m living in the Black Hills of South Dakota right now and found a small black nightshade plant in my back yard once. It’s gone now, but it must grow somewhere around me.

  3. Katie says

    February 24, 2020 at 11:59 am

    This is an awesome post. I am always worried about trying this plant because I don’t want to misidentify it and cause some serious issues.

    We have some black berried plants and a red berried plants in our yard that I always thought to be a type of nightshade, but I have not looked at them extremely close. This year I definitely want to at least start getting more comfortable identifying these.

    Thank you for such an informative post. I will also check out what Sam has in his book.

  4. Raiven says

    July 27, 2020 at 5:14 pm

    I have a volunteer in my garden I suspect may be this. But I am not 100% sure.

    How to identify?

  5. Erica M. Davis says

    July 30, 2020 at 9:27 am

    Hi Raiven, do you want to send me a picture? You can use Facebook messaging or drop me a line through the contact form and we can email.

  6. Sheri says

    September 7, 2020 at 3:06 pm

    I was looking for new ideas for what to do with the ones I “allow” to grow in my yard. Green chili is a brilliant idea! I think I’ll stick with ham this time, so I can use up the few raspberries I have before the freeze as well. I can always count on you for the best ideas!!

  7. Jim says

    December 12, 2020 at 6:33 pm

    I live on the front range of Colorado and have always called this plant “Garden Huckleberry” (as opposed to true huckleberries). They grew in my parents’ garden for decades and now they have grown for decades in mine. They are by far the most prolific volunteer “weed” in my garden, next to purslane, of course.

  8. WFG says

    March 9, 2021 at 4:46 pm

    Oh how nice to have a yard full! Thank you for the “garden huckleberry” info.

  9. Natalie says

    August 17, 2021 at 9:45 am

    My mother-in-law ordered seeds online marketed as Dahlias, but the later read they only grow from tubers. I transplanted a few of her seedlings into a pot to see what would come up. Looks like this is what we got! My initial search had me concerned since I have young ones that love to sample anything that looks edible. Thank you so much for clarifying the distinction from the poisonous kind.

  10. Shane Johnson says

    January 22, 2022 at 6:58 pm

    Wow I found some of these very late in the fall in my Wisconsin garden. I tasted one and it was fruit like, sweet and delicious. I spit it out but was almost sure it was edible due to the taste. Now I finally know! Thanks

  11. Michelle says

    May 7, 2022 at 1:38 pm

    Wow! I have always thought that all nightshades were poisonous. Thank you!

  12. Gilbert says

    May 26, 2022 at 1:54 am

    Interesting article! I live in Beijing, China, and those nightshades came univited into my balcony, growing like crazy. They invade soil all around. The flowers are white, the berries become dark blue. ASo I assume they can be eaten

  13. Francia says

    June 10, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    Hi there! Thank you for this! Can I send a pic of what’s growing in my garden? I planted watermelon and thought it was that and then it died and came back to life. Now I think the watermelon never grew and it’s just a wild Berry! How cool.

  14. Erica M. Davis says

    July 5, 2022 at 9:18 am

    Hi Gilbert, you are probably right, but I am less familiar with nightshades in other countries. I would highly recommend a read of Samuel Thayer’s nightshade chapter in nature’s Garden (2010).

  15. Erica M. Davis says

    July 5, 2022 at 9:24 am

    Hi Francis, yes of course, send me a picture! I’ll email you my contact info.

  16. Crystal says

    August 12, 2022 at 4:49 pm

    I was very lucky to have my Great Grandparents’s family bring them over to the US when they immigrated here. The berry seeds have been passed down through our generations the sad thing is I don’t have the recipes. I have an old German cookbook but it’s written in German and I don’t read German. Would anyone have any pie, jelly, jam, dumpling, kuchen Wonderberry recipe?

    Thank you so much!!

  17. Silvia says

    September 18, 2022 at 11:30 am

    Great article ! I am from El Salvador, and we make delicious and healthy soups (sopa de Mora) with the leaves/flowers. They grow all year round around my house, I will learn how to make the jam now, it sounds great, many thanks.

  18. Roseann says

    October 4, 2022 at 4:29 pm

    This is a reply for Natalie…hope she sees it. Actually there are some dahlia varieties that can be grown from seeds. I’ve done it. Most are not very showy, but I like them.

  19. Stephen says

    October 8, 2022 at 5:27 pm

    Interesting article. I live in Brazil. Have farmed in both Goias and Mato Grosso states. This plant is a weed in the fields, but for 50 years we have used the berries in jellies, jams, pies and coblers. They are delicious. But we have never eaten the leaves. Will have to try them.

  20. Erica M. Davis says

    October 15, 2022 at 9:41 am

    Thank you for sharing that, Silvia. I would like to learn how to make sopa de mora now!

  21. Erica M. Davis says

    October 15, 2022 at 9:47 am

    I found this recipe online: http://writinglantern.blogspot.com/2008/08/denna-kuchen-rivel-kuchen-german.html

  22. Erica M. Davis says

    October 15, 2022 at 9:52 am

    Cool, thank you for sharing. I don’t not have a good source for the leaves so I have not tried them yet. Apparently they need to be young, not mature plants.

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Wild Food Girl

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Oregon grape delight

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The delicious ‘wild wonderberry’

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Book reviews

Samuel Thayer’s ‘Incredible Wild Edibles’

Hank Shaw’s ‘Buck, Buck, Moose’

Katrina Blair’s ‘Wild Wisdom of Weeds’

Thomas Elpel’s ‘Foraging the Mountain West’

Dina Falconi’s ‘Foraging & Feasting’

Ellen Zachos’ ‘Backyard Foraging’

Rebecca Lerner’s ‘Dandelion Hunter’

John Kallas’ ‘Edible Wild Plants’

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