October Talk

Edible Hedgerows was the theme of our meeting on Thursday 17^th October and our speaker David Whitehead brought along a goodly bunch of greenery and berries , many which we have in our gardens and hedges.

It was a bit of a revelation to learn that most of these can be eaten in some form – but that most of them taste pretty awful. And somewhat startling to learn that Laurel leaves are a potent source of Cyanide. If you put them through a chipper the smell of Almond is amazing and you will probably pass out – at least.

Yew , well known for being poisonous, has berries which you can eat , but only the red part – if you eat the pip you might soon be dead.

On a more useful theme, the leaves and flowers of lots of other common plants and weeds can be used in salads – and don’t just bin that large Dandelion , its delicious.

Next meeting – Thursday October 20^th , 7.30pm

At the Village Hall as usual , Vic Aspland, chairman of the trustees of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and prolific speaker on gardening matters is talking about ‘ A brighter side of winter’. Not to be missed.

Peter Rivers Fletcher

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Last modified: November 01, 2014