edibility of Mahonia species

Are the fruits of Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ edible, similar to Mahonia x media?

First, an aside: Mahonia has been ‘moved’ to Berberis, so that now Mahonia x media is named Berberis x hortensis, and Mahonia aquifolium is now Berberis aquifolium. Since the resources I will be quoting use the former names, I will leave them as they are.

Here’s what British author Alys Fowler says in her book, The Thrifty Forager (Kyle Books, 2011):

“All Mahonia species are edible, long-used for jams and juices in their native homes […] Sometimes you’ll find Mahonia nervosa, the Oregon grape, with the roundest grape-like berries. It looks very like Mahonia aquifolium but usually fruits later, around early autumn. […] Even when fully ripe, the acidic berries [of all Mahonia species] are too bitter to eat raw–they should be cooked into pies, jellies and jams. The flowers are edible, but bitter. The fruit needs to be picked and processed into jam or jelly very quickly, and it stains everything. It’s very low in pectin, so either add crab apples or add liquid pectin, following the usual jam making rules. You can also make an Oregon grape cordial which tastes a bit like blackcurrant cordial. Because of the low sugar content, it will need to be frozen if you want to store it–it’s a very sharp cordial, I use 350-400g (just under 1 lb) if granulated sugar to 600 ml (1 pint) of fruit. If that’s still too sharp, try mixing it with concentrated apple juice to sweeten it.”

Plants for a Future Database has pages for several Mahonia and Berberis species, including Mahonia x media, and its fruit is listed as edible.

on the safety of pickled walnuts

Is it safe to eat pickles made from unripe walnuts (including hulls)? Are some types of unripe walnuts safe to eat and others not safe? I am not sure what kind of walnut is in my garden.

I am also a bit worried by articles I found online which say that juglone from walnuts can cause cell damage. Maybe I should skip this culinary adventure?

Pickled walnuts (from English walnut, Juglans regia) are a traditional British delicacy. The Royal Horticultural Society even mentions them. Alys Fowler’s book, The Thrifty Forager (2011), says the walnuts for pickling must be picked in early summer before they harden. Traditionally, walnuts for pickling were harvested June 15, St. John’s feast day. The famous 16th century herbalist John Gerard said, “the green and tender Nuts boyled in Sugar eaten as a Suckad, are a most pleasant and delectable meat, comfort the stomacke, and expell poison.”

All walnut species have edible properties, though black walnut may be more bitter than English walnut. Edible East Bay published an article by Kristen Rasmussen in summer 2015 on pickling green walnuts from a native Californian species of walnut, Juglans californica.

Anyone who is sensitive to walnuts probably should avoid the pickled ones, too. Like many plants, walnuts have both edible uses and toxic properties. If you do not consume large quantities of walnuts (pickled or otherwise), I do not think there should be dire medical consequences. Toxic Plants of North America, 2nd ed., 2013 (Burrows and Tyrl) has a section on walnut (Juglans). The main toxicity concern discussed is that to horses, and in their case, it is mainly due to the use of walnut wood shavings in horse stalls.

A word about finding random articles on the internet: Context matters, and the citation you found about cell damage is in the context of using juglone (administered in a medical research facility) to kill cancer cells. It is not the context of everyday consumption of walnuts. Reliable sources are hard to find via the internet, and I would view with skepticism any site that is primarily commercial and does not cite trustworthy sources.

I could not find any references to the effects of pickling on the chemical composition of walnuts. Certainly, pickling (like any form of food preparation) will have some effects on nutrients. But since pickled walnuts are likely an occasional snack and not a staple upon which one’s diet is founded, there is no cause for concern.

Incredible Edibles

[Incredible Edibles] cover

My favorite publisher of travel guides is DK (Dorling Kindersley Limited). They do very well with gardening books, too, creating visually rich yet uncluttered plant encyclopedias.

A new favorite in this style is Incredible Edibles: Grow Something Different in your Fruit and Veg Plot. The use of the term “veg” is a clue that the author, Matthew Biggs, is British, but he writes for a global audience. But no worries, most of these edibles will do well in a Seattle garden.

Here is the opportunity to expand your palate. While many of the plants are exotic, others are already familiar to gardeners. Fuchsia berries, daylily flowers, and the leaves and flowers of your hosta border all provide tasty treats. Most surprising (for me) was learning that dahlias are edible.

The author typically points out the horticultural value of his subjects and has a knack for taste-tingling imagery. He describes Chilean guava (Ugni molinae) as being a favorite of Queen Victoria because the fruits have little crowns. In addition, “the aromatic fruits are the size of blackcurrants, but taste like wild strawberries and bubblegum. It really should be more widely grown.”

Northwest natives, such as camas and Oregon grape, are included. Never taken a class on cooking camas? A sidebar of “cook’s tips” will get you started. We purchased this fun book with a grant from the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association.

Published in the July 2018 Leaflet, Volume 5, Issue 7.

Plants for a Future Species Database

The Plants for a Future Species Database contains details of over 7000 plants, all of which are either edible, have medicinal properties or have some other use such as fibers, oils or soaps. For each plant the database contains details of the uses of the plants, as well as information of the environment it will grow in and cultivation details.

Plants for a Future

Resource center for rare and unusual plants, particularly those with edible and medicinal uses.

Grow It, Cook it with Kids

book jacket Parents of enthusiastic young gardeners, and farmers’ market shoppers alike will love this useful guide to home-growing and cooking. It features easy, photo-illustrated recipes grouped by their main ingredients, so that chocolate zucchini cake is right next to zucchini salad and stir fry, allowing cooks to choose a recipe based on what they have on hand. Better yet, each chapter begins with step-by-step instructions for growing children’s favorites like herbs, peas, beans, and berries.

How to Grow a School Garden

How to grow a school garden cover The authors, who are members of the San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance, recognize a fact that is becoming clear in schools across the country: if we are to have school gardens in this era of tightening budgets, increased academic testing and expanding class sizes, parents must step up and offer their time and energy to establish and maintain them. My own personal experience with this process as a volunteer in the garden at my neighborhood elementary school indicates that while a few parents at each school might have the necessary time and energy to devote to this, it is rare to find anyone at all with the practical knowledge, patience and understanding that are necessary to make such a garden flourish. That’s why this book is so important and useful. Not only does it empower parents and teachers to get something growing, it educates them about the planning, funding, building, maintenance, use, and enjoyment of such a garden. Valuable topics include dealing with vandalism, training students in basic garden tasks, preparing for garden lessons, scheduling class activities in the garden, and planning for summer watering. This book is a must-have for any gardening library.