@feralforaging: Elder (Sambucus spp.) grows in the wild throughout the world! You can use iNaturalist and search for “Sambucus” to see if it occurs in your area! Inevitably some people will raise alarms about elder’s toxicity. I think the concerns are generally far overexaggerated! Elderberry does contain some levels of cyanogenic glycosides, CNGS, (usually most in the seeds) like MANY members of the rose family. A study on American Elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis) found far less CNGs in the tissue of elder that people consume (juice, skin, etc.) than many imagine. (Cyanogenic Glycoside Analysis in American Elderberry - Appenteng et. al, 2021) I’m working on a full video on this subject, so we’ll discuss more later! Nonetheless, when I eat elder, I make a syrup/jelly and I don’t include the seeds anyway. Please also remember that “edible” does not mean RAW and it does NOT mean all parts of the plant! If someone tells you “potato is edible” it does not mean that you should run off and cook potato greens! I only ever consume the flowers or berries of elder. If you’re after the berries, you won’t mistake elder for water hemlock, instead you could mistake it for something like Devil’s walking stick, Aralia spinosa (which we’ll do a video about this year!) If you are after the flowers (as I often am for making sparkling wine) then a beginner certainly may mistake the elder for water hemlock, so make sure that you know your distinguishing characteristics! Be safe, be feral, keep foraging! #foraging #elder #sambucus #elderberry #wildfruit #plantidentification #botany #nature #cicuta #waterhemlock

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Thursday 23 March 2023 17:29:48 GMT