North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jwlehman@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/30/2004 9:15:48 AM US Eastern Standard Time, brucedhansen@sbcglobal.net writes:

>  How does one go about identifying what's safe to eat and what isn't? 

 


Hi Deb,

I'll not take responsibility for the following, but I've survived the following.

There is an old saying:
Berries red, have no dread
berries white, poisons sight.  

I've tasted many berries in the following manor and am still alive and never made me sick.  I'll place a few of the questionable berries in my mouth, crush and keep long enough to taste them then spit them out. But my experience is that berries that aren't known for being eatable usually taste bad and that is why they aren't kept around for food. 

FYI: Ken Neighbors, wine maker at White Owl Winery, Birds, IL (Whiteowlwinery.com) has found a recipe to make wine from Aronia berries. I had taken about four gallons of fruit to him last summer which are now frozen. He plans to start fermintation soon.  

Jerry