A Prolific Fall Edible!

Our Spicy Native

Geographically speaking, spicebush is our spice. The modest shrub (Lindera benzoin), a member of the laurel family, is native to North America and is found in deciduous woodlands of Mid-Missouri. You’ve likely passed it dozens of times without knowing it. The bush offers foraging ingredients in triplicate: its berries, twigs, and leaves are all edible, each with its own personality. If you’re curious about foraging but don’t have much know-how or time to tromp around in the woods, spicebush offers big payoffs with little effort.

Right when summer begins pivoting to fall, spicebush shrubs are decked out in tiny berries the color of red lipstick. These fruits are not the type you gobble by the handful (I would not recommend it, but sucking on a single berry gives a nice pepper burst); rather, you can collect just a tablespoon and have enough to play around with for a few recipes. The spicebush’s reward is its unmistakable but indescribably complex flavor. The ground, dried berries have sharp notes of citrus zest, pine resin, and fruity black pepper.

Where to Forage You’ll spy spicebush growing on tree-lined roadsides and shady, richly forested hiking trails aplenty. Spicebush has an encouraging habit of growing in partnership with other interesting wild edibles: pawpaw trees, wood nettles, chickweed. It can be a gateway forage able, since it’s easy to identify with relative confidence.

The ripe red berries are glossy, slightly oblong, and likely no larger than the tip of your pinkie. Crush one with your fingers and you should detect a slightly greasy resin, as well as a burst of a citrusy aroma. Tear and rub the leaves and you’ll be rewarded with a more muted, lemony version.

Lookalike berries dot the woods (dogwood and holly come to mind), but after examining the leaves and smelling a freshly smooshed berry you should know off the bat if you’re dealing with the real spicebush or a red imitator. And as with any wild edibles, if you harbor any doubts on your plant identification, the safest thing is to hold off.

Birds and woodland mammals eat the oil-rich berries, so when you harvest them, leave plenty for wildlife to enjoy. There’s no need to be greedy, as a small handful will fuel many kitchen adventures.

While you can use the berries fresh, their flavor intensifies greatly when you dry them. You don’t need any special equipment: Simply spread them out on a tray and in about three days they’ll darken and shrivel up. Keep them in a cool, dark place for at least a year.

I store the berries whole, frozen in a ziploc bag, grinding them as needed to cook with. A mortar and pestle works, but as the berries are not rigid, you can easily whack them with the flat of your knife against a cutting board and chop them finely. I like to grind mine in a spice grinder.

Leaves and Twigs

Early fall may be when it’s best to gather ripe spicebush berries, but the shrubs are easiest to identify in the spring, when they produce delicate yellow flowers on their stems. When the woods are still awash in a brown and gray palette, blooming spicebush is hard to mistake for anything else.

The best time to play around with twigs and leaves is when the shrubs send out new leaves late in the spring and the plant is full of newfound vitality after a long winter. The smooth, tapered leaves grow alternately on the stem.

Some of my Favorite Uses:

Use as a rub for pork and lamb. This gives your dish a very unique "allspice" flavor.
Include whole spicebush berries in your pickling spice.
Add several lightly crushed berries to sun-tea.
Chew on a piece of spiceberry twig as you work through your day. (It has such a great citrusy flavor!)

Credits: Edible Ohio Valley, The Spruce.com, D'Ranch forest