May Apple Time

First posted on 07-19-2011

For me, the emergence of May apple plants in early spring signals the start of morel season. I look for colonies of these umbrella-shaped plants as pretty reliable barometers of mushroom picking time. But this time of year, it’s the plant’s curious fruit that draws attention.

May apples have extended and long-lived root systems, which is why the plant seems to grow in large groupings that cover the forest floor in April and May. Fast growers, May apples reach their full height of around 18 inches in about a week. Not long after, each plant produces a single white flower. The flower eventually becomes a fruit and that fruit—the May apple—takes its time ripening over the rest of the summer.

Late July and early August is about right if you dare take your chances with snakes and ticks should you decide to root around in search of May apples. Despite the name, May apples don’t look like apples and they don’t taste like them, either. About the size of a golf ball, the fruit must not have any green left on it when it’s time to eat one. It should be a pale to bright lemon yellow color. May apples that have yet to fully ripen are, like prunes, a cathartic and, unlike prunes, can be poisonous.

Since warm days have helped other plants grow tall, May apple colonies are more difficult to find unless you remember right were they were from spring hikes. The fruit does emit a sweet, unusual, yet pleasant scent, which helps zero in on the target. Ripe fruit is often found still attached to a yellow and often wilted plant, or on the ground right next to one.

The roots and stems of May apples contain a powerful drug called podophyllin, making all of the plant except the very ripe fruit extremely dangerous to consume. Should you decide to give one a try, remove the stem and blossom ends from the fruit and give it a good rinse in water. Some people say that the seeds and the rind also contain some poisons, but others make no recommendation about the removal of either. I think I’d caution on the side of removal.

May apples can be eaten raw, but plenty of folks turn them into jams and preserves. The fruit is described as tasting tart and citrusy, but not as strong as lemons or oranges. When consuming raw May apple fruit, go easy. Too many could lead to a belly ache of epic proportions.

With this year’s 90 plus degree summer-long heat wave in the Ozarks, I find myself without a yearning to explore the woods right now. I know that the chanterelles will emerge next month and that may be cause enough to brave weather not quite suitable for hiking. If I do trek the woods, I’ll be keeping an eye out for May apples as well as mushrooms. I’m always curious about groceries from the woods.

Like most foods found in nature, the time to pick and consume is fleeting. Morels only last a few weeks, maybe a few days. Once persimmons reach thir peak of flavor, better get there quickly before the deer eat them all. Same with May apples. Opossums and raccoons delight in the fruit and, at ground level, they are easy pickings.

The pinnacle of ripeness and good timing have to be on your side.

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