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I hope that today is treating you well wherever you may reside. I have a few questions for some of you who are more familiar w/ the vegetation in the SW USA. I commonly hike outside of the Las Vegas area and I often see the California Juniper tree w/ the common blue berries that it produces. I have found various information about whether the berries were edible or not for humans but I found this one particular page that stated
"California Juniper
The berries of the California juniper (Juniperus californica) were utilized as a food source by the Native Americans during times when food was scarce. Various Native American groups in California used the berries and other parts of the plant to treat illnesses such as common colds, flu, constipation, high blood pressure and hiccups. Today the California juniper’s berries are eaten raw, cooked or ground into a powder used for flavoring. This perennial plant grows best in the dry rocky areas of USDA zones 7 through 11. Edible Juniper Varieties | Home Guides | SF Gate
My question would be this as many of you are much more educated in eating wild vegetation than I am.
If in a bind in the desert could I consume these berries right off the tree and utilize them as a food source like the Natives did? I know it states here that the natives ate them, however I know that my digestive system isn't adapted to these foods the way that Native Americans obviously were. Also if these berries are edible for modern city dwelling humans would you recommend some way treating them before consumption such as boiling them in H20 etc.... Thx for any education you can give me about this species.
There is tons of BS on wild edibles on the web. The fact the Natives ate them when food was scarce should let you know it's not normal food because they taste bad. How did the Natives know they had high blood pressure to treat? I'd at least wash them before eating.
I hope that today is treating you well wherever you may reside. I have a few questions for some of you who are more familiar w/ the vegetation in the SW USA. I commonly hike outside of the Las Vegas area and I often see the California Juniper tree w/ the common blue berries that it produces. I have found various information about whether the berries were edible or not for humans but I found this one particular page that stated
"California Juniper
The berries of the California juniper (Juniperus californica) were utilized as a food source by the Native Americans during times when food was scarce. Various Native American groups in California used the berries and other parts of the plant to treat illnesses such as common colds, flu, constipation, high blood pressure and hiccups. Today the California juniper’s berries are eaten raw, cooked or ground into a powder used for flavoring. This perennial plant grows best in the dry rocky areas of USDA zones 7 through 11. Edible Juniper Varieties | Home Guides | SF Gate
My question would be this as many of you are much more educated in eating wild vegetation than I am.
If in a bind in the desert could I consume these berries right off the tree and utilize them as a food source like the Natives did? I know it states here that the natives ate them, however I know that my digestive system isn't adapted to these foods the way that Native Americans obviously were. Also if these berries are edible for modern city dwelling humans would you recommend some way treating them before consumption such as boiling them in H20 etc.... Thx for any education you can give me about this species.
I have been dabbling in wild edibles for the past few years. I have not eaten juniper berries. I have quite a number of reference books on wild foods and those that mention juniper berries vary on description of edibility. The most optimistic states that they are edible but often (depending on the variety) taste pretty bad (be careful, because most foods that are very bitter are that way for a reason!). They are technically not even berries and are more closely related to pine cones. But those references do indicate that they can be eaten and have historically been made into tea as well.
On the other hand, other references list them as toxic. What I have found that this usually means (when the sources contradict one another) is that they are MILDLY toxic. You are not going to die by ingesting a juniper berry, as you would from water hemlock or something like that. But over time, the toxins can build up in your body if over-consumed or not prepared properly. At some point, it could cause sickness, shut your internal organs down, or kill you. I'd think that perhaps it is a similar situation to acorns--you can certainly eat a few acorns with no problems, but they must be "leached" of the acids before eating them in any significant quantity. Not sure on the juniper berries, but the reference does state that they have historically been milled into flour for use in breads and such. It does not state, however, whether they need to be processed in any way in order to use them in this way (such as cooking, leaching, etc).
If I were you, I'd try to find some further historical reference on them. If there is one thing I've learned about wild foods, it is "do not trust in only a single source of info" (although some references are better than others). Don't trust what you read in only one book, don't trust what you read here (including this post), and don't trust hearsay--he said, she said, I've heard... etc. Back up your research with careful, thorough confirmation from several sources. Wild foods CAN kill you (or what you think are wild foods but are instead deadly poisons). Be CAREFUL.
The best references I have for (general) wild edibles are the books by Samuel Thayer and by John Kallas PhD. Unfortunately, neither of these mention juniper. So I had to go to some of my more obscure books (which I don't trust as much).
As an amusing side note: one reference states that juniper berries taste very much like gin... don't get drunk.
There is tons of BS on wild edibles on the web. The fact the Natives ate them when food was scarce should let you know it's not normal food because they taste bad. How did the Natives know they had high blood pressure to treat? I'd at least wash them before eating.
That's an excellent point. We might ask as well if an ethobotanist observed the Indians grinding them into flour. So many people who criticize modern medicine are quick to embrace untested and unknown remedies of primitives as if those people possess some special wisdom denied to members of civilized cultures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC
I have been dabbling in wild edibles for the past few years. I have not eaten juniper berries. I have quite a number of reference books on wild foods and those that mention juniper berries vary on description of edibility. The most optimistic states that they are edible but often (depending on the variety) taste pretty bad (be careful, because most foods that are very bitter are that way for a reason!). They are technically not even berries and are more closely related to pine cones. But those references do indicate that they can be eaten and have historically been made into tea as well.
On the other hand, other references list them as toxic. What I have found that this usually means (when the sources contradict one another) is that they are MILDLY toxic. You are not going to die by ingesting a juniper berry, as you would from water hemlock or something like that. But over time, the toxins can build up in your body if over-consumed or not prepared properly. At some point, it could cause sickness, shut your internal organs down, or kill you. I'd think that perhaps it is a similar situation to acorns--you can certainly eat a few acorns with no problems, but they must be "leached" of the acids before eating them in any significant quantity. Not sure on the juniper berries, but the reference does state that they have historically been milled into flour for use in breads and such. It does not state, however, whether they need to be processed in any way in order to use them in this way (such as cooking, leaching, etc).
If I were you, I'd try to find some further historical reference on them. If there is one thing I've learned about wild foods, it is "do not trust in only a single source of info" (although some references are better than others). Don't trust what you read in only one book, don't trust what you read here (including this post), and don't trust hearsay--he said, she said, I've heard... etc. Back up your research with careful, thorough confirmation from several sources. Wild foods CAN kill you (or what you think are wild foods but are instead deadly poisons). Be CAREFUL.
The best references I have for (general) wild edibles are the books by Samuel Thayer and by John Kallas PhD. Unfortunately, neither of these mention juniper. So I had to go to some of my more obscure books (which I don't trust as much).
As an amusing side note: one reference states that juniper berries taste very much like gin... don't get drunk.
That's really good advice. I certainly agree that wild foods can kill you; I'd be even more emphatic about wild medications.
Juniperus communis, the common juniper, has a subarctic range across North America and Eurasia including southern Greenland and Iceland. It ranges into warmer areas in Europe. It's used as a spice in cooking and curing, but not as a major ingredient. It's available on Amazon. I've used the wild berries (communis) from a high altitude area of Colorado.
I don't know what species the OP has found; the species do apparently vary biochemically. The OP needs to first find out what it is, then start doing some sound research. The Webmd article is specific to communis but should be of interest. There should be botanic keys in the wikipedia citations.
Thx for the information. The species that I've found grows in my local area in the Mojave National Preserve. I'm thinking I'd love to put one of these berries under the scope and test it in my next chemistry lab.
As an amusing side note: one reference states that juniper berries taste very much like gin... don't get drunk.
As gin is made with juniper berries, I have read that they have the Hair of the Dog effect - a few berries (5) ease a hangover.
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I certainly agree that wild foods can kill you; I'd be even more emphatic about wild medications.
