Over the weekend Marci went hiking in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains with our friend Erin. At one point they stumbled upon some desert hackberry plants (Celtis pallida) full of large ripe orange berries. Unfortunately they were not equipped to harvest many of the berries, but they brought back a small jarfull. The berries are delicious and we are excited to make some hackberry jam.
We went out later to look for more hackberries in the Tucson Mountains, but the plants were mostly devoid of ripe berries. They’re at a lower elevation than the plants in the Santa Catalinas, so we’re not sure when they were producing, but we’ll have to remember next year that mid-fall is hackberry season!
The berries began to spoil very quickly (after the first night they were starting to turn brown), so we froze them until we can figure out something interesting to do with them.
A wash in the Tucson Mountains, a typical habitat for desert hackberries and many other native species.
A closeup showing characteristic native vegetation along the wash (especially desert hackberries, Acacia, velvet mesquites, etc.), and further from the wash (saguaros, palo verdes, etc.).
A desert hackberry (Celtis pallida) along a wash in the Tucson Mountains. This plant was devoid of ripe berries.
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December 21, 2007 at 10:11 am
Cecilia
Hi!
I was interested to read about your sampling of Desert Hackberry. Where I live in Australia we are experiencing severe drought and as a gardener I am keen on finding out about food plants that can grow in dry climates.
I had previously heard that Desert Hackberries were not particularly nice to taste, but your article indicates otherwise. Are they really delicious? How does the taste compare to other berries?
Thanks for an interesting page!
Cecilia
April 20, 2008 at 3:52 am
Anonymous
I have had Desert and Canyon Hackberries in my yard the past few years. Both consist of mostly a pit, with just a thin layer of fruit around it. Where the Desert Hack has an orange-red berry, the Canyon’s is orange-brown, with a smoother surface. Hack’s berry has what I consider to be a sweet, tomato-like flavor. The Canyon’s taste, more like yams & sweeter (tastier too). Both are excellent draws as food/folige for birds, but it would take a significant amount for preserves or the like.
A similar type of plant, but native to Africa, is the Lavendar Starflower. It produces many berries which have a little more flesh to them, and are traditionally used for eating and flavoring drinks. I find it’s flavor more fruity & really nice tasting. Bees go nuts for the pretty flowers and it does great here in Phoenix – almost full sun.