Fruit of my questionable soil

June 3, 2017 4:03 PM

I have a volunteer raspberry/blackberry bush in my Brooklyn backyard. It did not fruit last year – it was previously cut to the ground, but I pruned before the winter to let the second-year growth flower, and it seems to be on it's way to fruiting this year. I have not had the soil tested, I don't want to pay for that and it's not my property. CAN I EAT THESE BERRIES?

And by "can", I mean – are there any risks to snacking on these free berries at all? If so, what might possibly happen to me upon eating a handful? Thank you.

posted by thirdletter to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

People eat roadside blackberries by the bucket all the time, I would say backyard berries are pretty safe.
posted by Orca at 4:18 PM on June 3, 2017

Where I live, blackberries are a weed. I've eaten so many over the years from the side of the road, random fields, along trails, etc and never once considered the soil quality. I don't eat them if they're covered in car exhaust grime or dirt, but other than that I figure they're perfectly fine.
posted by cgg at 4:35 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

There is a lot of information online about the safety of gardening in contaminated soils (and eating what you grow.) This article is an example. It sounds like even if your soil is contaminated, eating fruit from plants growing in that soil is probably pretty safe. Airborne contamination is also a concern in a city, and probably more likely to affect the fruit than whatever is in the soil. But if you're only going to eat as many berries as you can get from a single bush, I don't think you have much to worry about.
posted by Redstart at 4:36 PM on June 3, 2017

A lot of cities will give residents free soil testing kits upon request. If this is the barrier between you and delicious berries then perhaps it is worth it to check out you options there. But I would eat them.
posted by Mizu at 4:38 PM on June 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

You can get the soil tested if you want, but my understanding is that the bigger issue comes from having soil on the fruit/veg you are eating. So don't plant any potatoes, and wash the berries before you eat them.
posted by Toddles at 4:44 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Also, do you know anything about the history of your land? You could look it up and that might assist in your decision.
posted by Toddles at 4:44 PM on June 3, 2017

My ex husband ate similar berries harvested in an NYC park in small quantities over about twenty years. Didn't do him any apparent harm.
posted by LizardBreath at 4:45 PM on June 3, 2017

wait what? do you live atop a superfund site? eat away, nothing will happen.
posted by AFABulous at 5:30 PM on June 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Actually Brooklyn is known for having very high levels of lead in the soil of many backyard gardens. You may decide that, for you, the risk of eating a few berries here and there is negligible but you should know that the chances your soil has high levels of lead and other heavy metal contaminants is not.
posted by MeadowlarkMaude at 5:46 PM on June 3, 2017 [7 favorites]

Where in Brooklyn are you? I've eaten stuff grown in Queens backyards but parts of Brooklyn would definitely give me pause.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 7:40 PM on June 3, 2017

Response by poster: To address some questions above:
- I don't live atop a superfund site, no, but I live 15 minutes walking distance from the gowanus canal.
- This building was gut renovated a few years ago. I planted non-edibles in the yard and there was some metal and brick debris in the soil furthest from the berry plant when I dug.
posted by thirdletter at 8:25 PM on June 3, 2017

Best answer: Eat them! Heavy metals do not pass readily into fruiting bodies. You're more at risk from contamination if you don't take your shoes off in the house after walking outside in the garden.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:17 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]