North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jim Fruth <jfruth@uslink.net>]

Title: All Red Berries Edible???

    Jerry, in a letter to Deb (yesterday) wrote:

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

    Apparently whoever coined that jingle never ate the red berries from Sambucus racemosa.  Who would suspect that elderberries might contain cyanide?  And then, there are white currants which are very edible.  There are alot more red and white berry exceptions so whomever believes in that "old saying" would pass up some good eating but soon die of poisoning.

Jim Fruth
Pequot Lakes, MN