I found these growing wild, while out exploring. Does anyone know what they are and if they are edible?
The berries in the last photo were growing on small bushes.
Don't touch the nightshade Sweyn...not edible.
The Haws are ones we used to pick as kids ....Hips and Haws...to make jelly.
We used to call them ' bread and Butter berries. They are pretty tasteless actually , but the birds rely on them for winter fuel.
The Sloes need to be just softening. They are very astringent if you try to eat them raw. They dry your mouth out like a sponge.
If you want to make Sloe gin, put them in the freezer...that will split them....then soak them in a bottle of gin for a month or more. Delicious.
The Elder berries once they are all dark black and soft are ready to pick. They make a lovely home made wine.
Some folk can eat them raw..but I find they have a tang that I don't like.
The Haws are ones we used to pick as kids ....Hips and Haws...to make jelly.
We used to call them ' bread and Butter berries. They are pretty tasteless actually , but the birds rely on them for winter fuel.
The Sloes need to be just softening. They are very astringent if you try to eat them raw. They dry your mouth out like a sponge.
If you want to make Sloe gin, put them in the freezer...that will split them....then soak them in a bottle of gin for a month or more. Delicious.
The Elder berries once they are all dark black and soft are ready to pick. They make a lovely home made wine.
Some folk can eat them raw..but I find they have a tang that I don't like.
I agree with you on the Haws, the leaves were also used as a sort of lettuce...but again I reckon you needed to be very hungry to get any enjoyment from them.
As to the sloes....I find them very astringent in the mouth, especially if they are not fully ripe. Guess it varies with how your taste buds react. But again they do make a super drink with sloe gin!!
As to the sloes....I find them very astringent in the mouth, especially if they are not fully ripe. Guess it varies with how your taste buds react. But again they do make a super drink with sloe gin!!
That sounds good. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to pick some, this year. I'll try next year.applestar wrote:I make syrup and jelly from Elderberries. I have a gallon freezer bagful waiting in the freezer for when I have time.
The elderflowers make lovely summer drink when made into simple syrup. The key I found out is NOT to boil the blossoms, only after straining them out.
Thanks. I might try gin but, I don't have as many Sloes as recipes normally require. I had to leave many on the trees because, not all of them were big. I might try a scaled down recipe and adjust the amount of each ingredient. Maybe I'll just eat them as they are. I read on other websites that they will keep for a long time, in a freezer.JONA wrote:I agree with you on the Haws, the leaves were also used as a sort of lettuce...but again I reckon you needed to be very hungry to get any enjoyment from them.
As to the sloes....I find them very astringent in the mouth, especially if they are not fully ripe. Guess it varies with how your taste buds react. But again they do make a super drink with sloe gin!!
Do you think that Haws will taste better if they are made into a product like jam or liqueur? I don't think that I'll try their leaves.