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If you are ever in the woods of Missouri and are hungry, just take a look around. Many plants that grow in the woods of Missouri and elsewhere are edible. When I was a child, my Uncle Perry would take myself and my siblings hunting in these woods and would often point out plants that were and were not fit to eat. He not only told us about these plants, but would eat them himself. One thing he would always caution us about was if we were not 100% sure the plant was edible, leave it alone. One wild plant my uncle was fond of was the gooseberry plant.
The gooseberry plant reminds me of wild grapes, because the stems are slim like wild grapes and it has green round berries that turn red when ripe. This plant is also referred to as feverberry because of its reported healing properties for alleviating a fever. It has also been called current. Gooseberries contain vitamins A, D and C, as well as potassium, calcium, and niacin. Plus they are high in fiber. Gooseberry plants grow in rocky areas or dry woods. The flowers of the gooseberry plant are green with light pink petals that bloom from April to May, the berries can be collected from June until September, and the leaves from March to May.
The young leaves can be eaten raw, used in salads or slaws, or be dried to make a tea. The leaves may take two to three months to dry unless you have a food dehydrator.
The berries of the gooseberry plant when green tends to have a sour taste, which some people prefer. The berries when they ripen and turn red are used in pies, jams and jellies. I remember my aunt use to make gooseberry jelly, which we loved.
Harvesting gooseberries is a lot of work because when you pick them, the stem usually stays attached. Also on the end of each gooseberry are the remains of the flowering part which resembles whiskers. Both the stem and the whiskers have to be removed before you can wash and prepare them for baking, eating or jelly making.
As mentioned above the ripe berries were used to help reduce a fever. Mountain doctors from years ago would crush the berries in a cup and add hot water. The patient was then instructed to slowly sip the concoction.
So the next time you are walking in the woods and you come upon a bush that resembles wild grapes, it is probably a gooseberry bush, which can provide you with a good snack.
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Author Bio Box: Agnes Farside
 http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/110407/agnes_farside.html
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