By: Blonde Two
There are few more pleasing times to visit a woodland than in autumn. There is so much going on down there among the trees; multicoloured falling leaves, stealth fungi in dark corners and lots and lots of berries. If you look closely, you will be amazed how many different types of berries there are, no wonder the squirrels look so busy at the moment (do squirrels like berries?). On my walk in the copse yesterday I found; hawthorn, blackberry, honeysuckle, black bryony (I think), ivy, rosehip, cuckoo pint, elder and sloe (blackthorn).As I explored the bushes I found myself wondering just how many of them you could eat. Most of them would have looked very pretty on the bowl of porridge that I had just consumed. Some are obvious Blonde-foodstuffs; blackberries (crumble), sloes (gin), rosehips (syrup or jam) but I wasn’t sure about the others, they looked tasty enough but could you make an ivy crumble or a cuckoo pint custard?
As you Blondees and Blondettes know, we Blondes love a bit of research, so I went home to find this most informative website http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/wfs/wfsberries.htm. As it turns out, you can eat hawthorn (despite its nasty aftertaste) if you don’t have a cardiac or circulatory problem, and elder without turning it into wine or cordial, but should definitely not order ivy crumble if you see it on the pub menu.
My advice would be to stick to what you know tastes good and is good. Or introduce yourself to a woodland forager chap with a long beard and baggy trousers … he will probably deliver wiser advice than mine on the matter.
Hee – leave the White Bryony alone – unless you want to be violently sick! White Bryony is the one with leaves like elongated ivy – Black Bryony belongs to the Yam family and has heart-shaped leaves, – all parts of it are poisonous. Bryony is used as a purgative, but it works by irritating the tissues so that blood supply is increased. It is highly toxic in large doses.
Culpeper used to use the roots of Cuckoo Pint for all sorts of things, but the one I like best is the roots beaten with hot ox-dung to ease the pain of gout. It’s definitely a poisonous plant, as well as being a flynapper.
The leaves, buds and fruits of hawthorn can be eaten but it’s much kinder to leave them for wildlife.
Honeysuckle – it causes vomiting, but has been used as a diuretic and was added to cough mixtures; Culpeper used it to cure asthma and lots of disgusting complaints. In his time, lots of country folk used the leaves to make a mouthwash, but he observed that it was more likely to cause a sore mouth than cure it.
Ivy – all parts are poisonous – Pliny said the yellow berries were good for jaundice; (presumably because they were yellow); Culpeper used the berries to cure plague! Ivy is a severe skin irritant and allergen.
Roses – petals, stamens, leaves – all can be used for all sorts of things but beware of the hips – they contain very fine hairs that irritate the lining of your stomach, so they have to be strained out when you make rose-hip syrup.
Elder – well you could pick the flowers and eat them straight from the bush, if you are hungry! Buds, flowers, leaves, bark, fruits – all can be used; but if you smell the young leaves in spring, you may be put off forever.
Sloes – try sloe brandy instead of sloe gin. Sloe stones have been found near Neolithic graves – though whether they were food or dye no-one knows. Culpeper used Sloe to stop bleeding, amongst other things. It is used to soothe irritated and inflamed skin.
I had a feeling that you might know the answers to some of my questions!
I make Hawthorn Sauce which I then put in marinades for BBQ or Chinese recipes. Elderberries make a wonderful syrupy vinegar for salads and are a great addition to a crumble. Rosehip syrup YUM and great for colds (always wear gloves to touch them and strain through at least a double layer muslin as the hairs are basically itching powder!). Funny story – I would advise throwing the muslin away after straining rosehips as even washing it in the machine will not get rid of them – in fact it will transfer the hairs to everything else, including underwear – just ask my brother!
That is a very good story – I can see that some Blonde foraging lessons are in order!