Hawthorn Berries – Edible but astringent.

Dear Readers, it seems that you are all pretty reliable on the foraging front – even where people didn’t get the species right, you had a pretty good eye for what was edible and what wasn’t, which is a relief.  So, to the scores, which are out of 28 because I forgot to include Number 5: Christine got 22 out of 28, Rachael got 22 1/2 out of 28, and Claire and Mal at FEARN both got a perfect 28 out of 28, so well done everybody! I am going to open up the comments with your answers, and there are some great suggestions for how to use the edible berries – Mal mentions using sea buckthorn as a topping for cheesecake and Claire tells me that they are used for hand cream. Plus, Claire says, holly berries, though inedible, are macerated in alcohol to make brandy in Alsace. Who knew?

1) Edible – Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)

2) Edible – Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

3) Not Edible – Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara)

4) Not edible – Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

6) Not edible – Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)

7) Not edible – Yew (Taxus baccata)

8) Edible – Elder (Sambucus nigra)

9) Edible – Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa)

10) Edible – Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus)

11) Not Edible – Ivy (Hedera helix)

12) Not Edible – Black Bryony (Tamus communis)

13) Not edible – Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna)

14) Edible – Bramble/Blackcurrant (Rubus fruticosus agg.)

15) Not Edible – Cuckoopint/Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum)