Hawthorn Tree Edible.

[pinerevolver]

Alright Guys
Since its summer up here in Sunny Scotland.

I have a few hawthorn trees around the edges of my fence.
Ive heard that the leaves and flower are edible.

Also ive heard the little fruit can be used to make a jelly and is full of vitiman C.

Can you guys give me any more additional infromation on the edibilty of the Hawthorn.

Thanks.

 

[TJRoots]

yep the fruits can be use to make jelly and they are in fact edible themselves, but they are mostly seed and skin with very little flesh so i find there's not much benefit to eating them.
the leaves are also edible although the older leaves can be a bit bitter, the young bright green leaves are (IMO) very tasty with a slight hint of plum.
i haven't tried the flowers myself but it stands to reason that if the berries they turn into are edible the flowers would be too.

also, the wood is lovely for carving, bugger to work with but you get real results from it

ATB
TJ

 

[JonathanD]

You can't eat the wood, but the twigs make excellent toothbrushes.

 

[chickenofthewoods]

If you want to pm me with your email addy and I can send you a file with a collection of recipes I've gathered for Hawthorn over the years. You can eat the young fresh leaves (spring growth), the flowers make a good wine or syrup, a traditional spring drink called 'May Cup' or can be dried for a herbal tea mix and the haws can be used to make jam, jellies, fruit leathers, syrup, sauce, schnapps..... Quite a bit you can do with hawthorn really!

 

[bushcraftbob]

I find the leaves taste mildly like parma violets sweets, maybe its just my didgy palate...

 

[JonathanD]

I find the leaves taste mildly like parma violets sweets, maybe its just my didgy palate...

More the latter methinks

 

[caswcc]

its the one of the two trees my kids can recognise (the other being birch of course) they know that u can eat the young leaves and also make fishing hooks out of the thorns.. and the flowers are ok to eat but they r... well flowers so not great.. prob ok in a sandwich with something else...

 

[Rumi]

Hawthorn berries do vary from tree to tree. Some are fleshier than others. There are 2 varieties, the Midland Hawthorn and the Roman Hawthorn. The latter being an import from the Roman period and the dominant species. The Midland Hawthorn is the original native and is evident from pre Roman bog core samples. It has almost disappeared though still exists in a few place I know in Oxfordshire. It is markedly different in character inthat it naturally forms a coppice stool and the seed is always paired with one flat face. Midland Hawthorn has a pink blush to the flowers.

The Hawthorn we all know so well forming a small tree is a Roman import.

The berries remind me of avocado and are rich in fats. They are also well known by medical herbalists to be a good heart tonic. I either snack on the berries raw on the move or lightly cook them wrapped in foil in the embers for about 5 mins or less.

 

[copper_head]

Hi, I had a go at making fruit leathers from hawthorn berrys ages ago, check out this thread http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24937&highlight=
Didnt work out so well for me, but worth ago! Good messy fun

 

[Melonfish]

one of my first wild spring greens is hawthorn shoots, deliciously subtle but fresh

 

[R.Lewis]

we made fruit leather. worked well, simmered ours first with a little water. Reduce, add cinnamon and nuutmeg, then spoon into shallow trays when hot. Guess the heat up kick starts th dryng. Be sure to remove all the seeds, could break a tooth on them!

 

[MaximumJpeg]

I always make Dock Pudding with the leaves when they are young.

Make some savoury suet dough and roll out into a large square. Spread the centre (leaving a gap around the sides) with cooked bacon, hawthorn leaves and a little butter, then roll up like a Roly Poly pudding and bake in the oven until golden.

I also make a syrup/cordial with the berries and give it to my Grandad to help control his Chloresterol.

 

[littlebiglane]

Big, fat juicy hawthorns

Fantastic Haw Jelly to go with cold meats at Christmas

Hawthorn Turkish Delight - easy to make an lowers the blood pressure too!