I received the following e - mail yesterday and asked if I could respond it here .
I think the info is worth share .
Hi David :)
Thank you for all you do atthe base radical . I reallyenjoy learning . I have allow my back lot just do it ’s thing the pastcouple of twelvemonth and now I ’m find interesting things that in the pastwere probably mowed or tailor back . Now the task at script is to startidentifying them before I make decisions to make room for other things . Could you help ? Also what guides would you recommend so that I can learnhow to key them myself ? I recollect I found bullace grape grape and wildblack berries as well . The black berries are MUCH smaller than when I gopicking at a farm though . Perhaps I ’m mistaken ?
This one is the tree I mentioned . The berries pop green but progresses to red and then a moody purpleness .
Thanks for your help if you could . Looking ahead to the next meeting . K.
First of all , I have to say : those are darn good photos .
Most of the plant ID film I get are muzzy . One of these twenty-four hours I ’m give way to envenom someone because I was strain to figure out a nebular pixelated photo and got a canna mixed up with an Nerium oleander .
severely – you take good pictures than I do . Can I outsource my photography from now on ?
In the first pic , K has definitely found something in theRubusfamily . It ’s an comestible blackberry of some type , though nailing down the exact coinage is tough . Taste them and if they ’re good , further them !
The 2nd plant is a bay wreath cherry . Though it has lots of eatable relative , include the tremendous black cherry , this plant is poisonous . Do n’t wipe out them ! The way to tell the difference between the laurel cherry and the black cherry ? Look for little “ beaks ” or points , at the end of the fruit . If it has those , it ’s venomous . The laurel cherry also has leafage that smell powerfully of maraschino cherry or Amygdalus communis when crushed .
That ’s cyanide . Mmm … NOT !
As for the third plant , that looks like lantana berries to me . They ’re supposedly edible when entirely grim , but I have n’t tried them . Green Deane writes about lantanashere . Worth reading .
The third plant is a cactus . It ’s a prickly Pyrus communis of some sort . eatable and pleasant-tasting , provided you could deal with the rachis properly . thin them out or toast the pads over an open flaming . I like these cactuses a lot , especially in chili .
As for the last plant , it is unquestionably a spurge nettle . They have root that are edible cooked , but the edibleness of the leaves is unknown . Do n’t impact them – they hurt ! With spurge nettles growing on your property , chances are you’re able to grow their much more comestible cousins , chayaandcassava .
There are a lot ofwild ediblesout there . Keep your eyes open and you never know what you ’ll find .
As for scout , I likethis one .
I also likeEatTheWeeds.com .
All the best ,
David the Good
