For several reasons, the northern dewberry is often overlooked as a summer berry in the Blue Ridge. A major one is that its fellow Rubus members (the native blackberry and raspberry and the introduced wineberry) grow as upright vines and are easily spotted while the dewberry twines its way along the ground. A second one is that though Rubus flagellaris is native to these mountains, it rarely, from my experience, appears in large colonies.
Bruce Ingram
Northern Dewberry growing in Botetourt County, Virginia.
Nevertheless, the dewberry boasts numerous charms. It is the same size as a blackberry and has a similar appearance. Though I would describe the dewberry as having a dusty black appearance while the blackberry features more of an ebony hue. I relish the tartness of blackberries, but I also favor the slightly sweeter flavor of a dewberry. Additionally, the dewberry thrives throughout the Blue Ridge states, as well as most of the Eastern half of the country.
When Elaine and I gather summer berries, we typically prefer to place raspberries, blackberries, and wineberries in separate containers. But given the relative lack of abundance of dewberries, we usually just toss them in with the blackberries. On the other hand, there have been times when my wife has made a four-berry pie or cobbler – a wonderful commingling of flavors and colors of our summer berries. Search for dewberries this month in regenerating clearcuts, along forest edges and fence rows, and in overgrown fields.
Bruce and Elaine Ingram wrote Living the Locavore Lifestyle about living off the land. For more information: bruceingramoutdoors@gmail.com.