Unusual Fruits of North America and What they are and what they
taste like! Most of these are VERY easy to grow at home, and may
attractive, low maintenance landscape plants, in addition to
providing tasty fruit! |Buffaloberries: The Buffaloberry
(Shepherdia argentea), is a drought tolerant, sun-loving,
nitrogen-fixing, thorny shrub often found in light soil of
ravines and stream banks. They sucker readily and are
recommended for shelter belts. White flowers appear in late
April or early May, and the orange or red fruit ripens in early
to late fall. The fruit is bitter, but sweetens after a frost
and were used by indigenous people to flavour meat. They are
high in iron, and were also used as a tonic for blood disorders.
They make good jellies and pies. The Buffaloberry can be
propagated by seed or by transplanting root suckers. ||Black
current: Too tart and bitter to eat raw, but they're often used
to make syrups, preserves, and the liqueur cassis. Much more
popular in Europe (they like bitter foods there! :)