>>1006170>American black nightshadeDo you live in its range? Like Texas or related? I eat EBN berries every year in baked goods like cookies and muffins. Identification between the cultivars is something you have to sit down and do lots of research online. Try to keep away from blog articles, 99% of the people there have no clue what they are talking about.
The way I harvest is to harvest the ripe fruit then leave it on a plate in the sun for a few days so it ripens further. They are like tomatoes in that respect that they ripen off the vine. Anything with a hint of green gets tossed. You'll know when it is ripe when you eat one. It'll be a delicate flavor though. The ones that are ripe-looking but not yet 100% ripe will taste "green" and slightly bitter.
If you are going to use them for baked goods you can simply sun dry them and you'll know that they are 100% ripe. I find that they are best in baked goods that have very light flavor using white flour, white sugar, and little to no spices at all.
If you want to eat these type of berries and don't want to eat the "wild" cultivars, you can simply grow the modern garden cultivars like, "Garden Huckleberry." It will have larger berries and higher yields too.
>pics from last year's crop>>1006201They may get deeper waterings with rain or the barometric pressure changes and lightning(if any) could be triggering extra growth. I've noticed the same thing and they grow best during lightning storms. It is quite amazing.
