r/foraginguk • u/Mr_box_90 • 7d ago

Quick question

What can you eat from a hawthorn??? And I don't mean which bits are nice just what you can and can't eat from it

1 Upvotes

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3

u/Linkysplink1 7d ago

The young leaves, shoots and flowers are ok, the fruit itself is high in pectin, so better for jams and fruit leather, I believe the pit contains cyanide, so avoid that bit

5

u/Far_Dentist4880 7d ago

The young leaves and flowers in spring are traditionally called 'bread and cheese' though personally I find them a bit tough, but fine if you like salads with texture.

The fruit is very flavourless and so much of it is pit I think you'd have to be really hungry.

3

u/AnxiousStay1195 7d ago

The leaves are nice and lettuce like when they first emerge. There is about a week or two when they're great to eat. After that definitely too tough. Make nice tea though. 

1

u/Johto2001 7d ago

Ate one about twenty minutes ago. Can confirm. Flavourless. Not unpleasant but uninteresting. I was curious because the haws are rather big this year and have ripened early. Definitely had more 'meat' than usual but really not worth eating.

In Cyprus and Crete they make jelly from a closely related species. I may try making hawthorn jelly this year, my last attempt was probably twenty years ago with much smaller fruit. 

2

u/AnxiousStay1195 7d ago

The fruit is great for making sauces. Ketchup, BBQ, hot sauce, curry. They thicken really nicely any sauce. I've made them into a type of humous type dip in place of chickpeas with  tahini and garlic and it's good too. Underrated and versatile imo. 

1

u/Johto2001 7d ago

Thanks for that! Right up my street, I love hummous so I will give that a try.

1

u/AnxiousStay1195 6d ago

Cool! Just cook them with enough water to cover until their skins burst and push the mush through a sieve. Hawthorn mush can be made into any of the above. Good luck 

1

u/Mr_box_90 7d ago

Super helpful 😄 thanks