A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Blueberry blackcurrant, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present.

Berries are eaten worldwide and often used in jams, preserves, cakes, or pies. The berry industry varies from country to country as do types of berries cultivated or growing in the wild. While many berries are edible, some are poisonous to humans, such as deadly nightshade and pokeweed. Berries have been valuable as a food source for humans since before the start of agriculture, and remain among the primary food sources of other primates. They were a seasonal staple for early hunter-gatherers for thousands of years, and wild berry gathering remains a popular activity in Europe and North America today.

Berries also began to be cultivated in Europe and other countries. Some species of blackberries and raspberries of the genus Rubus have been cultivated since the 17th century, while smooth-skinned blueberries and cranberries of the genus Vaccinium have been cultivated in the United States for over a century. The most widely cultivated berry of modern times, however, is the strawberry, which is produced globally at twice the amount of all other berry crops combined. The strawberry was mentioned by ancient Romans, who thought it had medicinal properties, but it was then not a staple of agriculture. Woodland strawberries began to be grown in French gardens in the 14th century.

This and apple are the only native fruit names. This Section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. In botanical terminology, a berry is a simple fruit with seeds and pulp produced from the ovary of a single flower. It is fleshy throughout, except for the seeds. There are several different kinds of fruits which are commonly called berries, but are not botanical berries. Strawberries have been grown in gardens in Europe since the 14th century.

Blueberries were domesticated starting in 1911, with the first commercial crop in 1916. Cloudberry, common flowering plant in the cool temperate regions, alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. Organically certified berries are becoming more widely available. 1500 hours, and cranberries 2000 hours. Growing most berries organically requires the use of proper crop rotation, the right mix of cover crops, and the cultivation of the correct beneficial microorganisms in the soil. As blueberries and cranberries thrive in soils that are not hospitable to most other plants, and conventional fertilizers are toxic to them, the primary concern when growing them organically is bird management. Several discoveries in the science of breeding berries were made in the 18th century by Antoine Nicolas Duchesne in his work on strawberries.

Some fruit not commonly referred to as berries and not always botanically berries are included by land-grant university extension offices in their guides for berry cultivation, or in guides for identifying local wild edible and non-edible berries. In the year 2005, there were 1. In certain regions, berrypicking can be a large part of the economy, and it is becoming increasingly common for western European countries such as Sweden and Finland to import cheap labor from Thailand or Bulgaria to do the berry picking. In the late 2010s in the US, reduced migration from Mexico and increased minimum wage standards have made finding “stoop-work” labourers to pick the strawberry crop difficult and costly. This assists the wide dispersal of the plants’ seeds. Berry colors are due to natural phytochemicals, including plant pigments, such as anthocyanins, together with other flavonoids localized mainly in berry skins, seeds and leaves. Berries are commonly used in pies or tarts, such as blueberry pie, blackberry pie, and strawberry pie.

Berries are commonly incorporated whole into the batter for baking, and care is often taken so as to not burst the berries. Frozen or dried berries may be preferable for some baked berry products. Currants, raisins and sultanas are examples of dried grape berries, and many other commercially important berries are available in dried form. Berries are perishable fruits with a short shelf life, and are often preserved by drying, freezing, pickling or making fruit preserves. Chefs have created quick pickled soft fruit, such as blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Strawberries can be battered and quickly fried in a deep fryer. Berries have been used in some cultures for dyeing.