Edible Yew berries

[Joe]

I'm restricting the freddo's to social occasions only...

 

[xylaria]

Here is a recipe for yew berry tart courtsey of fergus drennan, who lives months at a time on just foraged food.

http://wildmanwildfood.blogspot.com/

If someone only reads half a post and then does something stupid like eat yew seeds, they have worked too hard for thier darwin award for me to be begrudge them a thing .

 

[Cyclingrelf]

I've eaten them too, but I just squeeze the juice and some flesh into my mouth and leave the seeds well alone.
The tart recipe looks interesting - thanks Xylaria!

 

[crazydave]

I just squeeze out the seed which makes for slow eating, not sure it I would have the patience to do much else with them.

I do know that for an adult one seed wont be pleasant and deadly for a child which is why we got told it was poisonous.

I wonder if the toxin would transfer in cooking could you boil a batch up then sieve to make a jelly?

 

[Tengu]

Remember we eat rhubarb stalks too.

 

[Kerne]

I would be VERY careful! I heared Ben Orford tell a story of someone who scraped her tooth against a yew berry while spitting it out and was in a coma afterwards. Perhaps some people react differently to others but it seems a dodgy process trying to find out if it is going to disagree with you.

 

[rik_uk3]

Rumour has it that one established member here was very poorly after eating the berries?

I've no problem eating anything I'm sure about Spamel, but I mean 100% sure; hark back to tinned sausages in lard, sound revolting, but I'm 100% sure they are fit for human consumption so I'd eat them.

I'll even eat a few roots and leaves,,,,,,,,,, before sitting down to a good curry or stew or course

 

[spamel]

Rumour has it that one established member here was very poorly after eating the berries?

I've no problem eating anything I'm sure about Spamel, but I mean 100% sure; hark back to tinned sausages in lard, sound revolting, but I'm 100% sure they are fit for human consumption so I'd eat them.

I'll even eat a few roots and leaves,,,,,,,,,, before sitting down to a good curry or stew or course

The sausages in lard are probably just the same as the ones in ten man rations, ok in a pinch but not my food of choice! Still, I'd eat one in a bun no problems!

 

[gregorach]

I have to admit, I always have one or two when I see them... I quite like 'em. No ill effects so far - but I'm always very careful about the seeds. I don't sook the last bit of flesh off them, so they've still got a bit of wrapping when I spit them out.

Lots of things are very dangerous if you're not careful enough - axes, fire, traffic... We're surrounded by deadly danger every single day, it's just that you get inured to the dangers you're constantly exposed to. Eating a yew berry isn't really that much different from crossing the road - both can kill you stone dead if you're just a little bit careless. Statistically, I think it's crossing the road that's more likely to kill me, as I do it much more often.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

well i tried one today!
i think quite nice really very sweet, i agree very sticky like syrup.

still a bit unsure about the DEATH bit but nice all the same. Not something I'll be teaching friends and family (just in case).

 

[Gill]

i,m too paranoid to eat anything that could maybe poison you

 

[troy ap De skog]

the thought of Yew vodka went through my mind too did you put the berries in the alcohol with the seeds in them still? that might account for the toxicity?

Dave, no seeds in the vodka, i'm geussing one of the chemicals in the flesh, reacts or disolves in alcoholic soultions.. making it more potent...

 

[Toddy]

I've been eating them everyday for over a week now, the trees round here are dripping with them. They're beautifully sweet this year too

Just mind and spit the seed out

cheers,
Toddy

 

[troy ap De skog]

last years yew crop seemed better down this end, but cant be definitive for another week or so, as this week was thefirst time we have had rain for month (excluding 10min of draeg here and there) acnt complain though did get 2nd harvests of some fruits like strawberries..

but back the yew berries, what's about is very sweet for yew berries this year

 

[demographic]

Bit of a resurgence of a thread but I tried a couple today, kind of sucked the flesh off them after rolling them against the roof of my mouth with my tongue and spat the poisonous pip out.

Tasted quite sweet and the texture was OK, not too far off soft Lychee texture.

 

[Amandamac]

I have a huge yew tree overhanging the garden, and berries are falling off by the handful. My two dogs think it's Christmas - food in between meal times. I've been trying to stop them eating the berries, with some difficulty, but I'm slightly reassured by the posts that say that if you don't chew the seed, they're not dangerous. My dogs rarely chew anything before swallowing!

 

[HillBill]

They are renown for killing animals, especially livestock. Which is why they were planted in churchyards where cattle and sheep can't get at them.

 

[xylaria]

I have a huge yew tree overhanging the garden, and berries are falling off by the handful. My two dogs think it's Christmas - food in between meal times. I've been trying to stop them eating the berries, with some difficulty, but I'm slightly reassured by the posts that say that if you don't chew the seed, they're not dangerous. My dogs rarely chew anything before swallowing!

A dog has died from chewing a yew stick. Dogs hearts can pack up from eating chocolate. I dont think there hearts are that strong. The educated food choices that adult humans make are one thing, a dog cant make those choices.

Been more toxic with alcohol isnt suprising as some of the substances are more soluble in alcohol.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Dogs hearts can pack up from eating chocolate. I dont think there hearts are that strong. .

Our canine friends have very strong hearts. There is a toxin in chocolate (black/dark chocolat contains the most) called Theobromine which dogs have great difficulty in eliminating & which can cause cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, heart attacks & death.
It is toxic for humans too, but because of our larger size (adults) & our better & more rapid metabolizing & elimination of theobromine we run less risks. Children though can suffer theobromine poisoning should they eat large quantities of chocolat.
White chocolate contains very small amounts of theobromine & so unlikley to cause problems to dogs.

A little more info http://www.vetrica.com/care/dog/chocolate.shtml

 

[mrcairney]

I'm wracking my brains here and I really don't think I've seen a yew 'in the wild'. I think we had one in the garden of the family home, but that's about it. Are they usually domestic growers? (for want of a better nomenclature)