uncooked they go straight through me and the missus - castor oil has nothing on them, eye of a needle stuff for four days!
Adrian
You aren't eating them fresh are you? I've never had any problem with the bletted fruit that are so soft they taste like the filling of a an apple-and-cinnamon pie - an internal enzyme reaction, not a rot (though a few will rot). Without this process they wouldn't be able to attract animals to disperse the seeds.
NB. I'm not completely immune to aubergines, parsnips, £artychokes etc.
You can prune them like ordinary apples or crabs - pretty much to whatever shape you like.
Cheers.
PS. The 'country name' translates to what the french call them - cul de chien - but they are a lot bigger than either - think English Mastiff or Dire Wolf (but fortunately going the other way).
PPS. If you grow or eat burdock, never, never, ever leave part of the crown on the root (think of the flyboarding equivalent of body surfing).
