A New Snack!

  On my hikes about the hillside and down to the creek bed, I can usually find a ready snack on the trail.  Blackberries, huckleberries, wild blueberries, wild persimmons all grow along the marsh edge and in the woods.  I have no qualms about grabbing a handful of these as a handy snack but I admit to being leery of just trying any fruit I see.  That old saying of better safe than sorry rings true.  Today, however, I was happy to find a new snack albeit a sour one to add to my hiking pleasure.  Sparkle berries!  I had never heard of such until a friend (who I have never met!) mentioned finding them on a hike.  Well, if there is a berry that grows here and is edible, I needed to find it, right?  So...I searched.  In fact, I have been searching for weeks and was in hopes that I would find some before they all dried up and fell from the bush or were all eaten by critters.

  This afternoon, my quest was accomplished!  I found my sparkle berries!  Sure, they looked a bit dry and there were only a few left on the bush but, hey, they were there!  But...as I said earlier, I am leery of trying things without a positive identification.  So, I sent a photograph to my friend and the berries were confirmed to be sparkle berries.  The confirmation came with a lot of pointers on how to identify the berries so I feel quite confident in tasting them.  Tomorrow, the berries will be put to a taste test despite warnings from my friend.  "They are tart!"  My whole thought is that if the berries are there next year, a batch of sparkle berry jelly should be attempted! 

  Still, regardless of the fact that the sparkle berries may not be as tasty as the huckleberries, I think it is a wise move to learn what is edible and what is not.  Ha!  If I ever get lost on a hike around the Bayou, I will survive!  Snacks abound!  Free food for the taking!