Wild berry identification

These grow around the lake where my cabin is. I’m sure I used to eat them as a kid but I wanted to pick some for my toddler and it gave me pause - is there a good rule of thumb for safe to eat berries? These smell raspberry like and there’s another darker variety that grow alongside, also aggregated (segmented?).

I'm not familiar with the wild berries of your state, but to me it certainly looks like some type of wild raspberry from the genus Rubus. Here is the wikipedia entry for Rubus strigosus- you might want to compare the description with what you have:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_strigosus

But it might be wise to get confirmation about this plant from a local berry forager or extension agent before eating any berries from this, just to be sure. It's always good to be 100% certain before eating any wild plants or mushrooms.

Looks like raspberry. Smells like raspberry. Eaten for generations.

Go ahead and eat it.

That was my hunch too, but I'm hoping there's a simple rule of thumb because that's useful for my toddler (e.g., she knows "not safe to play with" for mushrooms and "not good to eat" for the honeysuckle berries. But this is a bit different, because it's something we could eat if I say it's okay, but it would be helpful if I could say something like, the berry has to have lumps on it like this, and it needs to have 3-5 leaves, etc. I'm not sure how bulletproof that is though. I've heard so in the northeast but I wanted to be a bit more secure before I repeat that for her ears. (Because toddlers remember everything!)

If it tastes nasty, spit it out.

If your stomach feels upset after eating something, don't eat it again.

If it smells bad, don't eat it.

It certainly looks like a raspberry to me. I can't say if it is a black raspberry that isn't ripe, or if it is a red raspberry that is ripe. Wild blackberries look similar except the individual "bumps" are larger.

Still, I personally would discourage a toddler from eating anything they find on their own, especially if I wasn't sure myself about local wild plants. I'm not aware of any dangerous look alikes  but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

Aggregate drupes, like this berry, are generally edible (though some are pretty flavorless). If the leaves have jagged margins, the canes are woody-ish (rather than herbaceous), and the fruit is truly an aggregate (with a seed in each little “packet”), then it’s probably ok.

I just at e a bunch of similar looking things whilst hiking in colorado with my bride. I fed a bunch to the dog too (he loves fruit and candy). We're both still kicking.

Jessica, I'm sure you've seen this, but just in case you haven't, here is a new thread that shows excellent  close up photos of red raspberry fruits:

https://permies.com/t/260898/berry/difference-blackberries-raspberries

Thank you especially Shawn for that description, that's exactly the sort of rule of thumb I was looking for.
While I very much agree with the common advice of if it tastes good, looks right, etc for adults, I was looking for something that would work as guidance for my young daughter. This is a kid who will eat raw lemon if given the opportunity, so saying to only eat something if it tastes right isn't really practical. What I settled on as a rule of thumb is not eating any of these things directly from the bush or talking about doing that, at least while she's this young. I gave her a few raspberries that I collected separately, inside on a plate (one of our understandings about whether something is food is if it's presented this way from a parent). It was fun. When she's older it'll be fun to collect these together.

Thanks all!