Yew fruit...

[wulf]

After some research, I tried a bit of the fruit of the yew tree (Taxus baccata) yesterday... and have lived to tell the tale.

Most of the tree, including the seeds, is HIGHLY POISONOUS but the red arils (fleshy part of the fruit) is not only edible but very tasty. I broke one open, dabbed at the contents (a viscous syrup) and tried a bit, which was sweet and delicious. Definitely worth a try (although probably not with children around, as they might return and be less cautious).

I guess that is the UK foraging version of blowfish sushi!

Wulf

ps. I also took the precaution of telling my colleagues at the office what I'd done, in case I had made a mistake and got struck down!

[Hedgehogpie]

I guess you won''t have come across Fergus Drennan's yew berry tart before then (scroll down a bit on the page):
http://wildmanwildfood.blogspot.com/

[Millymollymandy]

Aha HHpie so that's where I'd read about it - you gave that link a week or so back and I read that bit about his pie

[wulf]

Aha! That will be this post. No - I hadn't seen that before. I started with a book in the library (Food from the Wild by Ian Burrows) and double-checked on the Plants for a Future website.

Wulf

[grahoom]

Yar, I've eaten Yew fruit - and lived to tell the tale - I actually quite like it, but it's best not too eat too much of it - just in case!

[Hedgehogpie]

Yew berries have a pleasant enough taste but the consistency always reminds me of pink snot. That, coupled with the added bonus of heart failure if you accidentally nick the seed whilst eating it, is ever so slightly off putting.

[JeremyinCzechRep]

While the seed is toxic to man, many birds can happily eat them. I find them quite sweet so two or three of them is normally enough.