There are some fruits, herbs, and vegetables that never made the trip from the traditional garden to the modern supermarket, because of changing tastes or because they're perishable rather than "shelf-stable." They are the Unmarketables, and if you want to eat them you'll have to grow them yourself.

I'm breaking in on my World Cup hiatus because one of the most delicious foods you can't get in the store is now in season.  Or, from another point of view, one of the most widespread invasive weeds in North America is getting ready to spread to your garden.  It all depends on how you feel about the wineberry.

The wineberry, sometimes called the Japanese wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius), is a bramble in the same family as the blackberry and raspberry. It is easly recognizable by its stems, covered with fine red thorns that can look almost like fur. Native to Korea, China, and Japan, wineberries now thrive on roadsides, abandoned fields and forest borders throughout the central United States, especially east of the Mississippi.  The leaves have bright green tops with faint red veins, and white undersides.

The fruit itself is smaller than most market raspberries and blackberries; it is also more delicate and more perishable, making it unsuitable for mechanical harvesting or long-distance shipping.  For those willing to pick the small berries by hand, however, the intense, complex, slightly sour flavor puts the big supermarket berries to shame.

Traditionally wineberries have been foraged rather than cultivated, perhaps because they're too easy to grow.  Where they appear they quickly spread; birds scatter the seeds all over the landscape, and one shoot can quickly layer itself into a six-foot-high thicket.  If they don't grow in your area, your neighbors and your local extension office probably won't thank you for introducing them.

If they do, though, be sure to take advantage of it.  The ripe berries are delicious out of hand and yield complex and delicious pies, pastries, jams and jellies. Wineberries are rarely cultivated, but they are actually easier to grow than many other brambles as long as you keep them well pruned and trained.  The bright red foliage and white flowers are also extremely ornamental; in fact, the wineberry was first introduced in many areas for its ornamental value.  Whether you forage it or grow it, the Japanese wineberry is a delicious summer treat you won't find in any supermarket.

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