Topic: elderberries-can i eat them?

[Marianne]

There are lots of eldeberry trees growing along the river here.  One day I decided to taste the berries and was amazed at how bitter and dry they were.  Never touched them since although you CAN make nice wine out of them.  So says my good friend Derek.
 ;) :D ;D

[AikenDrum]

Sambucus canadensis:

Poisonous Part
    Leaves, twigs (stems), roots, unripe fruits.

Edibility
    EDIBLE PARTS: Cooked berries edible in pies, pancakes, and jellies; flowers and fruits used in wine making. SAFE HANDLING PROCEDURES: When flowers are open, pick whole clusters and dip in pancake batter and fry, or dip in batter and fry as fritters. Elderberry juice can be used as a cold drink. SOURCE: Peterson, L. 1978. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 330 pp.

Toxic Principle
    Cyanogenic glycoside and alkaloid.

Severity
    CAUSES ONLY LOW TOXICITY IF EATEN

< ... I just LUV Google     {:¬)#

[Derekthefox]

Thank you amphibian, about the prussic acid. Apparently it is the same acid which is present in almonds etc, to which I have a nasty reaction.

I never knew this, but am now enlightened.

Derekthefox :D

[Hot_Potato]

talking of pips & things as we were above (apples).....I also almost always eat the whole pear - core, pips an all....does the same apply re the prussic acid?

[amphibian]

talking of pips & things as we were above (apples).....I also almost always eat the whole pear - core, pips an all....does the same apply re the prussic acid?

Pears do indeed contain cyanide, it seems the rose and plum family do.

If you crush teh leaves you should be able to detect an almond smell, this is the cyanide, which explains why I have always distrusted almonds.

Intrestingly enough bitter almonds contain enough cyanide to possibly kill a child after eating only three. Sweet almons trees are considered safe, though the trees will still produce the occasional almond with cyanide levels comparable to the bitter almond. These bitter almonds, born of a sweet almond tree, account for 1% of the crop of the sweet almond. Therefore with poor luck or upon eating many many almonds, serious levels of toxicity could apply.

[flowerlady]

this is fascinating.

some old recipes that I have come across for jams etc actually suggest cracking a few kernels and adding the nuts into the mix to enhance the flavour, wonder if they knew what they were adding to the mix!

everything in moderation  :-\

[Derekthefox]

Research is necessary here. Low levels of cyanide are processed differently and may actually have beneficial effects:

http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/bt/chemical_terrorism/cyanide_general.htm

How does cyanide act in the body?
After exposure, cyanide quickly enters the bloodstream. The body handles small amounts of cyanide differently than large amounts. In small doses, cyanide in the body can be changed into thiocyanate, which is less harmful and is excreted in urine. In the body, cyanide in small amounts can also combine with another chemical to form vitamin B12, which helps maintain healthy nerve and red blood cells. In large doses, the body’s ability to change cyanide into thiocyanate is overwhelmed. Large doses of cyanide prevent cells from using oxygen and eventually these cells die. The heart, respiratory system and central nervous system are most susceptible to cyanide poisoning.

Derekthefox

[fbgrifter]

can i just add that i don't think it is very wise to test whether things are poisonous by eating them and waiting to see if anything happens!!  naughty naughty   :-[

[redimp]

No - that's a job for somebody else.

[undercarriage plan]

 ;D ;D ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Well, I shall be harvesting plenty on Wednesday to make this years batch of elderberry and kirsch jelly.  YUM!

[Derekthefox]

Not for me though thank you EJ !

Derekthefox :D

[powerspade]

well I gave you a warning about eating the berries there was no need for people to send me abusive emails. I never thought I would meet such nasty people on this site never mind I wont bother any of you again

[AikenDrum]

Who sent you a nasty email Powerspade ? ? ?    ???  ???  ???

[powerspade]

im siging off I will  not be back

[AikenDrum]

Please don't let one bad apple ruin the whole barrel !   :-[

[Robert_Brenchley]

Don't take it that way; it's a fact of life on the Net that you'll occasionally get nasty Emails if you post regularly. It's just the odd nutter so delete them and forget them, or complain to the ISP and forget them.

[Derekthefox]

I endorse what Robert has said... If it was abusive personal messages, you can block the sender, and report the matter to our administrator Dan ...

Just don't take it personally, this forum is too good to let things like that ruin your enjoyment.

Derekthefox :D

[daisymay]

Powerspade (if you do come back and read this)

what a shame if someone did send you a horrid email because of some comments about elderberries! I would also like to think it was unrelated to this site and this is certainly not the impression I have ever got from here. 

I removed my email address from my profile a while back as out of curiousity I typed my surname into google and it took me straight to my profile on here with my email address on it.

[flowerlady]

Powerspade I am so very sorry to read of your troubles.

I would like you to know that up till now I was supremely ignorant about the content of fruit pips, and other things for that matter even spinach! :o  And for this information I am grateful.  So thank you all for the education.

Having read the link that Derek put up, I was glad to see that under normal circumstance the cyanide leaves the body in the usual way within a day.

This is very reassuring. ;)