The fruits will stain hands, teeth and tongue deep blue or purple while eating and so it was traditionally used as a dye for food and clothes in Britain. [11] Bilberries above Merthyr Tydfil, on Mynydd Aberdâr Fruit [ edit ] Lätti, A.K.; Riihinen, K.R.; Kainulainen, P.S. (2008). "Analysis of anthocyanin variation in wild populations of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) in Finland". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 56 (1): 190–6. doi: 10.1021/jf072857m. PMID 18072741. Vaccinia rubra, or red Wortle, is like the former in the manner of growing, but that the leaues are 〈◊〉 and harder, almost like the leaues of the Box tree, abiding greene all the Winter long: among which come forth small carnation floures, long and round, growing in clusters at the top of the branches: afterwhich succeed small berries, in shew and bignesse like the former, but that they are of an excellent red colour, and full of iuyce, of so orient and beautifull a purple to limne withall, that Indian Lacca is not to be compared thereunto, especially when this iuyce is prepared and dressed with Allom according to art, as my selfe haue proued by experience: the tast is rough and astringent: the root is of a wooddy substance.

Fraughan is an anglicisation of the Irish word Fraochán (or heather fruit, as the plant is often found growing with heather)". téarma.ie. The name "bilberry" appears to have a Scandinavian origin, possibly from as early as 1577, being similar to the Danish word bølle for whortleberry with the addition of "berry". [1] In Scandinavian languages, terms for bilberries have names that carry the meaning "blueberry": e.g. blåbär in Swedish and blåbær in Danish and Norwegian. [ citation needed]Phytophthora". Natural England. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012 . Retrieved 26 June 2011. Bilberries ( / ˈ b ɪ l b ə r i/) or blueberries are a primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, dark blue berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

A much more palate-pleasing way of consuming hawthorn berries is to make a fruit leather. The flavour in transformed and sweetness enhanced by turning them into this tasty fruit jerky. You can also make a decent jelly if you add some crab apples. I’ve heard of people adding the de-seeded fruits to chutney mixes too but I have not tried this myself. As a native shrub, fraughans make perfect hedgerow plants, especially in acidic soil areas where not much else can thrive. Their dense structure creates a perfect habitat for birds, insects and small mammals; the flowers provide fodder for bees; and its fruit is food for wild birds. Even though they smell quite pleasant when crushed, the taste taste of raw rowan berries is really quite nasty. The berries start to ripen in the south of England in July and August but you’ll often still find them on trees in the north of England and Scotland in October. If you try one or two, you’ll find they are bitter and astringent. They do contain a reasonable amount of ascorbic acid, vitamin C, but also other compounds including malic acid, which makes the berries sour, and parasorbic acid, which causes indigestion and nausea. Heating the berries converts the parasorbic acid to the benign sorbic acid and generally improves the flavour. Nestby, Rolf; Percival, D.; Martinussen, Inger S.; Opstad, Nina; Rohloff, Jens (2017-08-08). "The European Blueberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus L .) and the Potential for Cultivation. A Review". S2CID 52997599. {{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ( help) The tartness of red currantes comes from the acidity of the fruit, which contain, amongst other acids, a significant amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), with a concentration of about 40mg/100g fruit. Another reason red currants are easily missed is that they tend to be hidden in the darker, damper parts of the woods, often found in association with alder, Alnus glutinosa. The red currant plant is a deciduous shrub, with the woody cane-like stems remaining dormant over the winter.

Elderberries

Exmoor whortleberries are hardy shrubs that can grow up to 30 cm in height and produce bright green leaves that turn glossy, deep green in maturity. The flowers are pinkish-red and bloom in late spring to early summer, while the fruit develops from late summer to early autumn. Exmoor whortleberries are characterized by their purple-blue edible berries, which are approximately the size of small marbles and are sweet and juicy. Ozawa Y, Kawashima M, Inoue S, et al. Bilberry extract supplementation for preventing eye fatigue in video display terminal workers. J Nutr Health Aging. 2015;19(5):548-54. doi:10.1007/s12603-014-0573-6 The Exmoor whortleberry is not only a delicious wild fruit but also a valuable medicinal plant with many benefits for human health. Its unique flavor and nutritional content make it a valuable addition to various food items, while its medicinal properties have been utilized for centuries. Therefore, it is essential to protect its natural habitat and promote cultivation for the long-term sustainability of the plant. Kosehira M, Machida N, Kitaichi N. A 12-Week-Long Intake of Bilberry Extract ( Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Improved Objective Findings of Ciliary Muscle Contraction of the Eye: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Comparison Trial. Nutrients. 2020;12(3):600. Published 2020 Feb 25. doi:10.3390/nu12030600 And with this description the little shrub which the Apothecaries of Germany do call 〈◊〉 doth nothing at all agree, as it is very manifest; for it is low, scarce a cubit high, with a few short branches not growing to a cubit in length: it doth not bring forth clusters or bunches, nor yet fruit like vnto grapes, but berries like those of the Yew tree, not sweet, but somewhat 〈◊〉 and astrin∣gent; in which also there are many little white flat seeds: the leafe is not round, but more long than round, not like to that of the Vine, but of the Box tree. Moreouer, it is thought that this is not found in Italy, Greece, or in the lesser Asia, for that Matthiolus affirmeth the same to grow no where but in Germanie and Bohemia; so far is it from being called or accounted to be Vitis Idaea or Alexandrina.

Vaccinium ovalifolium (oval-leafed blueberry, oval-leaved bilberry, mountain blueberry, high-bush blueberry). Where fraughans grow, cultivated blueberries seem to flourish best. Despite this, only two commercial blueberry farms operate on the island of Ireland and Derry Duff Farm is one of them. Perched high above the Bantry peninsula in West Cork, the farm is owned and run by Dr Steve Collins and his wife Claire, who bought the land 18 years ago and established an organic blueberry farm. Most of the shops of Germany do call them Myrtilli, but properly 〈◊〉: 〈◊〉 are the 〈◊〉 of the Myrtle tree, as the Apothecaries name them at this day. This plant hath no name for ought wee can learne, either among the Greekes or antient Latines; for whereas most doe take it to be Vitis Idaea, or the Corinth tree, which Pliny syrnameth 〈◊〉, it is vntrue; for Vitis Idaea is not on∣ly like to the common Vine, 〈◊〉 is also a kinde of Vine: and 〈◊〉, who hath made 〈◊〉 hereof doth call it, without an Epethete, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, simply, as a little after we wil declare; which with∣out doubt he would not haue done if he had found it to differ from the common Vine: For what things soeuer receiue a name of some plant, the same are expressed with some 〈◊〉 added to be known to differ from others; as Laurus Alexandrina, Vitis alba, Vitis nigra, Vitis syluestris, and such like.Kolehmainen M, Mykkänen O, Kirjavainen PV, et al. Bilberries reduce low-grade inflammation in individuals with features of metabolic syndrome. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2012;56(10):1501-1510. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201200195 Pliny also, lib. 16. cap. 18. hath made mention of Vaccinia, which are vsed to dye bond-slaues 〈◊〉 with, and to giue them a purple colour. Method – Take off any stalks left on the whortleberries and put in an 8″ pie dish. Sprinkle with the sugar to taste and add a small amount of apple juice and the pinch of cinnamon. Sift the flower into a bowl, cube the margarine and rub together until of a ‘breadcrumb’ texture. Add the water and make into a smooth ball. Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Take out, roll out pastry on a floured surface to a size just a bit larger than the pie dish. Place the lid over the dish, trim to size. Make a small hole in the centre of the crust. Brush with milk and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 35 m- 40 minutes at 425ºF/220C. When cooked serve with some proper Devonshire cream. V. myrtillus contains a high concentration of triterpenes which remain under laboratory research for their possible biological effects. [15] See also [ edit ]

Also in the rose family, hawthorn species all have edible fruits. The most common hawthorn species in the UK is Crataegus monogyna, what most people call just “hawthorn”. It’s a common, widespread and familiar large bush or small tree of woodland understorey, scrub and hedgerows, obvious in the spring due to its abundance of white flowers, often referred to as “May”. Vaccinium myrtillus or European blueberry is a holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, known by the common names bilberry, blaeberry, wimberry, and whortleberry. [2] It is more precisely called common bilberry or blue whortleberry to distinguish it from other Vaccinium relatives. Biedermann L, Mwinyi J, Scharl M, et al. Bilberry ingestion improves disease activity in mild to moderate ulcerative colitis - an open pilot study. J Crohns Colitis. 2013;7(4):271-9. doi:10.1016/j.crohns.2012.07.010 Chan SW, Chu TTW, Choi SW, Benzie IFF, Tomlinson B. Impact of short-term bilberry supplementation on glycemic control, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and antioxidant status in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes [published correction appears in Phytother Res. 2022 Apr;36(4):1836]. Phytother Res. 2021;35(6):3236-3245. doi:10.1002/ptr.7038 These plants prosper best in a lean barren soile, and in vntoiled wooddy places: they are now and then found on high hils subiect to the winde, and vpon mountaines: they grow plentifully in both the Germanies, Bohemia, and in diuers places of France and England; namely in Middlesex on Hampsted heath, and in the woods thereto adioyning, and also vpon the hills in Cheshire called Broxen hills, neere Beeston castle, seuen miles from the Nantwich; and in the wood by Highgate called Finchley wood, and in diuers other places.MR. BODKIN. Q. Have you attended persons who have taken poison of this kind? A. No, not atropa-belladonna—it would produce nausea, vomiting, and perhaps coma— I do not think it would cause a bowel complaint—it would depend very much on the quantity—one or two bernes might produce that. In Iceland, bilberries (known as aðalbláber, or "prime blueberry") grow predominantly in Westfjords and the surrounding area. In most of the country, the closely related bláber occupy the same habitat. Both species are commonly found growing with dwarf birch and crowberries. Wild growth is vast compared to the population of Iceland and wild harvesting is legal, and a popular activity in August when the berry season peaks. Chan SW, Tomlinson B. Effects of bilberry supplementation on metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk. Molecules. 2020;25(7):1653. doi:10.3390/molecules25071653 In Ireland, the fruit is known as fraughan, from the Irish fraochán, and is traditionally gathered on the last Sunday in July, known as "Fraughan Sunday". Bilberries were also collected at the Celtic festival of Lughnasadh in August, the first traditional harvest festival of the year. The crop of bilberries was said to indicate how well the rest of the crops would fare in their harvests later in the year. Bilberry is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species (see the list of Lepidoptera that feed on Vaccinium).