Wild grapes are free for the taking ... but beware
Who doesn't like grapes? Better yet, who doesn't enjoy getting free food? Right about now, Mother Nature's kitchen cupboard is bursting at the seams with all kinds of wild edibles.
I would caution you, however, to exercise some caution before you venture out into the woods and start stuffing wild foodstuffs into your pie hole. Some of those wild food items are downright poisonous.
Let's talk more about this wild plant trickster that is the wild grape lookalike. It is the plant called moonseed. Like wild grape vines, the moonseed plant is also a vine. The moonseed fruit even mimics the look of wild grape fruits.
The similarity stops there. The fruits from the wild grape vines are downright delicious, as well as being very nutritious. Unfortunately, the wild grape lookalike (i.e., moonseed) is deadly if you should be so foolish as to eat it.
If you have a berrypicking outing planned, I would urge you to educate yourself as to how to confidently identify moonseed. That is the best way to keep that poisonous fruit out of your berry-picking basket.
Moonseed fruits taste nothing like wild grapes. The unfortunate situation, however, is that you must be very careful to not mix the poisonous fruit into the grape jelly/jam that you may whip up in your home's kitchen.
It is not my intent to frighten you unduly. Instead, all of us wild plant foragers must exercise caution so we conduct ourselves in a safe and responsible manner.
The outdoor world is a source of much fun and pleasure. It's just that you need to be mindful of the hidden “land mines” that are lurking out there.