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The fruits of the juniper  (Juniperus communis) are not really berries, but cones with fleshy scales. Juniper berries take two years to ripen; the first-year ones can be recognised by their green colour, and the second-year ones by their blue cover. The latter are the ones that are ripe to pick. Pick them by the fistful, dry, and put in a jar, and during the winter you can pour some in the bowl with nuts and raisins every now and then (you will get used to chewing them!). As the old saying goes, there are 9 doctors hidden in a juniper …