The Exquisite Goumi

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Remember how we ended our foraging with goumi berries? I’m here to tell you that our Goumi bush is one of my dearest supports and delights. See those gorgeous red jewels above? Each is dappled with a naturally gold-tinted fillagree. When slightly over-ripe, the berries sweeten to a slightly astringent strawberry-ish flavor.

Notable: There is a hefty seed. I love to forage the goumi but learned long ago that to juice it and remove the seeds is an arduous task with small yield. I enjoy them best munched one by one beside the five-foot-tall bush. We planted the goumi over a decade ago beside our cherry tree. The nitrogen-fixing properties of this bush have supported radical growth and healing in our dear cherry so that it overcame a cat-scratch attack in it’s youth and now boasts a 7 inch diameter trunk. Impressive for what was sold to me as a “semi-dwarf” tree.

Our goumi bush is the picture of abundance, in foliage, berry, and root, and I’m so happy to honor it here. We have learned and grown together in our forest garden. Over the years, children have hidden beneath its canopy and have plucked its berries in June. I have included these jewels in jams and syrups, and neighboring trees and bushes have appreciated its generous sharing of nutrients. If I had it to do over, I’d plant one by every tree. And really, it’s not too late. Next spring is already on the books. ;)

Which plants have surprised you with their abundant offerings and which do you bow to at every season’s harvest?