Ash keys as food

[Andy B]

[h=3]Ash keys[/h]



Even in winter food can be found. Ash are often covered in keys well into winter. They can be gathered and opens to reveal seeds which are edible and not bad at all.When they are green they can also be pickled.

 

[Toddy]

Timely comment

I like the little pea like ones at the end of the Sycamore wings too They last right through Winter too, even amongst the leaf litter.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[spandit]

Every day is a learning experience! Are they best eaten raw or can you cook with them/grind them up to make flour?

 

[fishfish]

arent they bitter? seem to remember trying them once.

 

[Miyagi]

Brilliant, I never knew that.

Liam

 

[Andy B]

Some are bitter and some are not. It depends on a lot of things. I just eat them like little almonds. They do take a while to harvest though.

I like the little pea-type things in Sycamore samaras too. they taste very nutritious and are sometimes sweet which is nice. last through winter too.

 

[Andy B]

Every day is a learning experience! Are they best eaten raw or can you cook with them/grind them up to make flour?

Yes to flour.

 

[fishfish]

you can eat sycamore seed? never knew that!

 

[Toddy]

I like them The tree over the lane fence from my garden has sweetish, pea tasting ones

I think that's something we forget; every tree, even of the same species, tastes a little different.
It's really noticeable with elders, but think on apples, cherries, acorns and the like too. Like AndyB's Ash seeds as well

Traditionally these winged seeds were part of the mast that pigs grazed on in woodlands. The pigs fattened up nicely on them too
A kind of forgotten harvest, iimmc.

cheers,
M

 

[Andy B]

I like them The tree over the lane fence from my garden has sweetish, pea tasting ones

I think that's something we forget; every tree, even of the same species, tastes a little different.
It's really noticeable with elders, but think on apples, cherries, acorns and the like too. Like AndyB's Ash seeds as well

Traditionally these winged seeds were part of the mast that pigs grazed on in woodlands. The pigs fattened up nicely on them too
A kind of forgotten harvest, iimmc.

cheers,
M

As an arboriculturalist I have had the oppertunity to look into it a bit and have found that trees growing in stressfull enviroments have more bitter seeds. For example a syscamore that is constantly grazed might be more bitter. Its a well known natural process. Not saying its scientific just my personal observations.

 

[Toddy]

That's interesting so, copicing might stress them enough to react and produce unpalatable seeds ?
The trees I forage from have never been touched, they're huge things now, but I've been munching oak and beech, sycamore, rowans and so on, from them most of my life. I tell folks that these ones are sweet, but many find their local ones not so good. Might indicate a reason why ?

cheers,
M

 

[Andy B]

Coppicing is a form of stress indeed. The wind is a stress too. Trees are under constant stress from various things and spend their lives trying to minimise it mechanically and chemically.

 

[Miyagi]

I've eaten hazelnuts raw. Do ash and sycamore need roasting or can they be eaten raw?


Liam

 

[Toddy]

To be honest, Liam, I've never tried cooking with them; they're just an occasional munchie Like beechnuts, if you find them full, eat them while you can

Andy's 'flour' recommendation sounds interesting though

Young Jon did a bit about Sycamore seeds a while back. Can't remember how big that thread became however.

Interesting to hear what other folks do with them

atb,
Mary

 

[xylaria]

I have found ash keys to be a bit on the bitter side to eat in any quantity. a little they fine, then the bitter taste creeps up and gets stronger. I have tried leaching and honey roasting but I still didnt like them. The maples and sycamores seeds are variable eating as well.

 

[benp1]

I didn't know you could eat these tree seeds. Are there any you can't eat? Might go and try some, I have a sycamore outside my house as well

 

[HillBill]

I always assumed that if something isnt poisonous, then its edible.

The only exception to this rule that i know of, are Yew berries. All parts of the tree are poisonous but the berry flesh.

No part of the ash or sycamore is poisonous that i know of, hence all parts are edible. Taste and nutritional quality may not be good in certain things, but that doesn't mean you cant munch on it

 

[spandit]

Tried some yesterday - revolting. So bitter I had to forage a Snickers to get the taste out of my mouth...

 

[Toddy]

Ash or Sycamore ?

cheers,
M

 

[spandit]

Ash... tried both dry and fresh (from the same bunch)