Proud Member of
Vero Beach Breakfast Club
&
Treasure Coast Geocaching Club
When I first moved here I did not know what a palmetto was. After a little research I learned about the saw palmetto plant and it's berries. I did not give it much thought till last year when I heard that it was illegal to pick the berries. I know that I have seem products that list palmetto berries but I did not know that they were edible.
Last year, while geocaching my way to Okeechobee, I had just returned to the car when a police officer pulled up behind me. I was busy deciding where to go next when all of a sudden he knocked on the window. After a short conversation, he asked what we were doing. As it happens, he knew about the geocache located there so we were in the clear. He was just making sure that no one was picking palmetto berries. As it turns out, it is illegal to harvest saw palmetto berries on any public property, especially on conservation lands, preserves and parks. These berries are a critical food source to the local wildlife.