Cupressaceae

Cypress Family

Junipers

FAMILY: Cypress family (Cupressaceae) – Juniperus genus.

SPECIES: #1 California juniper (Juniperus californica Carrière). #2 common juniper (Juniperus communis L.). #3 alligator or checkerbark juniper (Juniperus deppeana Steud.). #4 one-seeded juniper (Juniperus monosperma (Engelm.) Sarg.). #5 western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook.). #6 Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma (Torr.) Little = Juniperus utahensis (Engelm.) Lemmon). #7 Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Warning! Juniper fruits contain harmful resins. Other parts are inedible. The resins are impossible to remove and may damage the kidneys if more than a handful of fruits are eaten. Fruits of certain southwestern species are low in resins, but rarely low enough to truly be considered edible. Juniper fruits are often called “berries,” but they are actually the fleshy scales of seed-bearing cones. Despite being harmful, they contain substantial amounts of sugars. Alligator juniper (J. deppeana) and one-seeded juniper (J. monosperma) are considered good-quality species. Fruits of these species and most other species were an important resource to Native Americans. All species listed above are native to western or southwestern North America and produce fruits in autumn. Fruits of some species mature in one year, while those of others require 2 years. Juniper fruits resist rotting and tend to persist, so they’re available over a long period of time.

California juniper (J. californica) is often described as a better-quality species, even though my field assessments suggest otherwise. Based on the fruits I sampled, resins were excessive and sugars were minimal. These fruits tasted terribly acrid and processing failed to significantly improve the flavor. They would serve well as a seasoning or as an ingredient to extend supplies of flour, but using them as a main course, or even a side dish, would not be possible due to their acrid flavor. Perhaps fruits gathered from other trees would taste better than those that I sampled, or perhaps some authors overrate these fruits. After removing the seeds, Native Americans ate them raw or prepared them as mush or cakes. California juniper fruits are blue, dusty, and filled with 1 or 2 seeds. They mature in autumn and persist for several months, so they’re available through winter, a time when resources become scarce. Despite their abundance, reliability, longevity, and historical importance, California juniper fruits appear to be a wild food of desperate times.

Common juniper (J. communis) fruits mature in two years and often persist for several more. First-year fruits are green, void of sweetness, and totally unsuitable for consumption. Second-year fruits are dark blue, substantially sweeter, and equally unsuitable for consumption due to terribly acrid resins. Eating a few fruits greets the consumer with a brief moment of pleasant sweetness followed by a rush of throat-searing agony. The burning sensation eventually subsides, but the fruity sweetness isn’t worth the pain unless starvation appears imminent. Cooking has little effect upon the acrid resins. Most of the fruit volume is filled with 3 brown seeds. The remaining volume is mealy, dull-green flesh. Only the coverings are dark blue. Wearing gloves when gathering is recommended for protection against the needle-like leaves. A supply of fruits can be reduced into syrup for use as a flavoring. Acrid resins persist in this syrup, but the flavor is otherwise candy-like. The sweetness in common juniper fruits is wonderful, but the resins are truly unfortunate.

Alligator juniper (J. deppeana) fruits vary in quality. Even the best fruits are rarely free of acrid resins, but surprisingly sweet fruits can be found. Always taste a few before gathering a supply. Cooking won’t eliminate the resins or significantly improve the flavor. Fresh fruits (excluding the seeds) have a soft, moist, fibrous texture, somewhat like tightly packed cotton balls. Dry-roasted fruits make an excellent tea similar to that described under one-seeded juniper. Tea quality varies according to fruit quality. Seeds are best removed prior to steeping. Alligator juniper fruits can be eaten in small amounts, but regular consumption may lead to health problems.

One-seeded juniper (J. monosperma) fruits have a relatively mild flavor. Sweetness is plentiful, but an acrid overtone prevails. Dry-roasted fruits make an extraordinary tea. Juniper tea is prepared by: finely chopping the fresh fruits, dry roasting the pieces until slightly charred, and steeping the pieces in hot water. Tea produced by this age-old method is intriguing. Sugars dissolve into the water to form a complex sweetness combined with an evergreen accent and elements of cypress. The flavor and aroma are appealing. At first, the tea is forest green, but it soon becomes earthtone brown. One-seeded juniper fruits can be eaten in small amounts, but regular consumption may lead to health problems.

Western juniper (J. occidentalis) fruits were not sampled for this reference and are not expected to taste good. Mature fruits are blue, dusty, fleshy, resinous, and filled with 2-3 seeds. Western juniper is found in California and northward to Washington.

Utah juniper (J. osteosperma) fruits taste terribly acrid, even when gathered at the optimal time after maturing in autumn. Processing is unlikely to improve the flavor. Fruits gathered from hundreds of trees ranging from Colorado to California were sampled for this reference. None of the fruits were palatable at any point of their life cycle. Utah juniper has been described as a better-quality species, but my experiences indicate otherwise.

Rocky Mountain juniper (J. scopulorum) fruits sampled for this reference tasted terribly acrid and processing failed to improve the flavor. They were gathered from the Book Cliffs in eastern Utah, Sangre de Cristo Mountains in northern New Mexico, and a few other locations. Rocky Mountain juniper is a wide-ranging species found throughout the western United States, but its value to foragers appears to be minor.

IDENTIFICATION: The Juniperus genus is represented by 10-15 species in the United States, many of which are native to the Southwest. Common juniper (J. communis) differs from all other southwestern species by having needle-like leaves in whorls of 3 and cones borne in the axils. It’s also the only shrubby species. Other species have scale-like leaves and terminal cones. Juniper cones are fleshy and berry-like. No other evergreen trees produce similar cones.

Description of junipers (the Juniperus genus): FORM thornless, aromatic, resinous, evergreen shrubs or trees; BARK shredding, peeling, or checkered; BRANCHES flexible; LEAVES simple; opposite or whorled; blades usually scale-like and overlapping (needle-like only in one species); margins smooth or minutely toothed; surfaces often bearing conspicuous white glands; FLOWERS unisexual; arranged in axillary or terminal cones; male and female cones on the same or different trees; males cones small, yellowish, and clustered on the branch tips; female cones globe-shaped; sepals 0; petals 0; FRUITS cones; the scales fused, fleshy, and collectively berry-like; 3-14 mm in diameter; red, reddish-brown, or blue; surfaces often powdery; seeds wingless, 1-6 per fruit; HABITAT found throughout the Southwest, dominating mid elevations.

REFERENCES: Couplan (pp. 33-35) indicates that the fruits of the following species are edible: #1 California juniper (Juniperus californica), #2 common juniper (Juniperus communis), #3 alligator juniper (Juniperus deppeana), #4 one-seeded juniper (Juniperus monosperma), #5 western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), #6 Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma = Juniperus utahensis), and #7 Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum).