When The Old Lady found berries that she did not recognize, she proceeded with caution.
Applying the Universal Edibility Test she squeezed juice from one of the ripened fruits and touched it to her tongue and lips. After waiting a period of time for any tingling or burning sensations (DANGER signals from the body), she ate one berry and waited again.
While she was waiting she consulted her guidebooks and identified her discovery as Juneberries. The red ones caught her eye in the woods, but only the dark purplish-black ones are ripe and sweet and delicious.
“Patience is the key to foraging,” lectured The Old Lady through a mouthful of juicy berries, “if one intends to LIVE off the land rather than DIE on it.”
LISTEN to The Old Lady!