Poll of the Day > The best true berries thread for the connoisseur of true berries

(+) Yeah! (+)

There are what people commonly consider berries, there is what botany considers berries, and then there are fruits that meet both definitions. This is the thread dedicated to those special fruit.

So no raspberries/blackberries/hybrids: aggregate fruit
No strawberries: accessory fruits
No mulberries: multiple fruits
No chokeberries/serviceberries: pomes
No cherries/bayberries/crowberries: drupes
No tomatoes/melons/grapes/bananas/etc: botanically berries, but not normally considered berries

For better or worse there's more than 10 available options, but I'm not going to put an other option in. Otherwise people are just going to vote other, and choose something like raspberries that don't even qualify.

Most other berries most people probably have never tried, assuming they ever even heard of them. If you like jostaberries, just choose black currants/gooseberries depending on what stage you prefer them as and post in the comments. Or comment if you like huckleberries, maqui berries, pink mountain berries, arbutus unedo, amla, or bearberries.

There's also stuff like seaberries, which don't really fully meet the definition for berry or drupe. There's also coffee cherries, where it's arguable whether it's a drupe or a berry, but almost no one actually eats the actual berry part...

Countdown to blueberries winning (even though honeyberries are a better blueberry), since cranberries are probably the only other berry that most people have even had experience with.

Being pedantic about the definition of "true berries," but missing the opportunity to include bananas? How disappointing.

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adjl posted...

Being pedantic about the definition of "true berries," but missing the opportunity to include bananas? How disappointing.

Fine. Edited my post to explicitly mention them as a disqualified fruit, as they only meet the botanical definition of berry.

Came in here looking for strawberries. Not listed, I'm sad. Only had 2 of those listed. Blueberries will probably run away with it due to that as well.

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adjl posted...

Being pedantic about the definition of "true berries," but missing the opportunity to include bananas? How disappointing.

Roasted!

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Rude

Imagine being a berry elitist D:

Goodberry is the best berry

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IronBornCorps posted...

Rude

Imagine being a berry elitist D:

Don't get me wrong, I love non-botanical berries too. Mulberries and chokeberries are underappreciated. Just a pity that the red mulberry trees are so hard to come by in the US thanks to people introducing white mulberries back in the day.

Probably should of included goldenberries. They're the one edible member of the nightshade family that are considered a berry from the non-technical sense. I suppose you could argue potato berry, but no one really eats them and they may or may not kill you.

Sarcasthma posted...

Roasted!

Roasted bananas are good.

Raspberries

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I've heard of most of those in video games and stuff. Reality is I don't even know where you would find any of them but blue berries and cranberries, maybe goji berries are relatively common since I hear them mentioned often. However, I can't really see any point to this aside from silly pedantry since I doubt many people have even heard of any of those options aside from blueberries cranberries (which are not known for tasting good) and maybe goji berries.

I'm pleased to see lingon represented, but feel this was a missed opportunity for schnoz.

sveksii posted...

Roasted bananas are good.

Not as good as that stern talking-to adjl gave you!

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Huckleberries, if they count. I think they're related to blueberries though I admit my knowledge of plants is very limited. They grow a lot around where I'm at.

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Sarcasthma posted...

Not as good as that stern talking-to adjl gave you!

Nah, roasted bananas are better than mere words could ever be.

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adjl posted...

Nah, roasted bananas are better than mere words could ever be.

It's not roasted, but I'll admit that Bananas Foster is heavenly.

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BlackScythe0 posted...

I've heard of most of those in video games and stuff. Reality is I don't even know where you would find any of them but blue berries and cranberries, maybe goji berries are relatively common since I hear them mentioned often. However, I can't really see any point to this aside from silly pedantry since I doubt many people have even heard of any of those options aside from blueberries cranberries (which are not known for tasting good) and maybe goji berries.

If you want fresh/frozen, you're probably going to have to go out of your way to find anything other than blueberries and cranberries. A lot of the berries are rather regional and not commercialized. Goji berries got considered a "super food" by health nuts and are easily found dried. Depending on where you live you can find some of them at local farmers markets. Other than that, you'd have to rely on specialty stores or grow your own. Gooseberries/currants are somewhat hard to find in the US due to previous bans on the plants (still banned in some states), but are more common in Europe. Cranberries are delicious, but they're rather sour and most people apparently hate sour things.

Gaawa_chan posted...

Huckleberries, if they count. I think they're related to blueberries though I admit my knowledge of plants is very limited. They grow a lot around where I'm at.

Yep. Huckleberries count. I didn't have enough room on the poll, and they got bumped off to the comments since they have no commercial presence and are rather regional. Both huckleberries and blueberries are in the heather family.

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Sarcasthma posted...

It's not roasted, but I'll admit that Bananas Foster is heavenly.

A lot of fruits are great if you prepare them like bananas foster. I did apples that way and put them in my oatmeal this morning, because I'm just that fancy.

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Krazy_Kirby posted...

You know that's right.

Blackberries are the best berries. So there! It is my dream to try cloud berries one day. They sound delicious!

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@sveksii Why are gooseberries banned? I have seen currant jams popping up in the grocery stores over the last couple years.

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Lil_Bit83 posted...

@sveksii Why are gooseberries banned? I have seen currant jams popping up in the grocery stores over the last couple years.

Both currants and gooseberries are potential carriers of white pine blister rust. While not serious for them, the fungus can have devastating effects on white pines. To protect the pines the US government decided to enact a federal ban on the growing of any currants/gooseberries in the US in the 1920s. While the federal ban was lifted in 1966, there are still various state and local restrictions and bans. If you try to order the plants from any nurseries you'll see a long list of states that they can't ship to.

This ban made them rare in the US for decades, but they're slowly becoming more common. Also as a side note: If you ever see zante currants, they have nothing to do with actual currants (Ribes) and are actually a variety of small grape (Black Corinth). So if you're seeing currant jam it's presumably actual currants. But if you're reading something and it has dried currants chances are it's actually those grapes.

@Lil_Bit83
Lil_Bit83 posted...

Blackberries are the best berries. So there! It is my dream to try cloud berries one day. They sound delicious!

Blackberries can be good, but the commercially available ones tend to be too sweet. I prefer more sour varieties that you have to grow yourself. I've actually been curious about cloudberries myself.

Honestly, if I ever had a bucket list it'd probably include trying every edible berry (botanical or otherwise) available. And my one lament is all the poisonous berries that you really shouldn't be eating that I see and wonder what they'd taste like.

SASKATOONS

fer sure

adjl posted...

Being pedantic about the definition of "true berries," but missing the opportunity to include bananas? How disappointing.

Are you kidding me? This whole thing is bananas.

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Lil_Bit83 posted...

Why are gooseberries banned?

they know why

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I dunno, that sounds like some entitled berry game.

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Avocados

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ReggieTheReckless posted...

SASKATOONS

fer sure

While tasty, as a type of serviceberry saskatoons are not botanically berries. They actually are a pome, the same type of fruit that pears and apples fall under. Yes, I know. Botany is silly.

sveksii posted...

Both currants and gooseberries are potential carriers of white pine blister rust. While not serious for them, the fungus can have devastating effects on white pines. To protect the pines the US government decided to enact a federal ban on the growing of any currants/gooseberries in the US in the 1920s. While the federal ban was lifted in 1966, there are still various state and local restrictions and bans. If you try to order the plants from any nurseries you'll see a long list of states that they can't ship to.

This ban made them rare in the US for decades, but they're slowly becoming more common. Also as a side note: If you ever see zante currants, they have nothing to do with actual currants (Ribes) and are actually a variety of small grape (Black Corinth). So if you're seeing currant jam it's presumably actual currants. But if you're reading something and it has dried currants chances are it's actually those grapes.

Ohh, ok that makes sense.

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