On a recent foraging walk with young children that retraced the route taken in June (see post below) it seemed a good idea to point out those fruits and berries that are NOT good to eat. When trying any new fruit, even when it is generally considered to be edible, it is sensible to try only a little bit first, in case you react badly. Some fruits (haws from hathorns for example) are used in herbal medicine and may have undesirable effects on you, or you may find you are allergic.
Always refer to a reliable guidebook when foraging and only take things which you can identify confidently. Some good sources of information on toxic berries can be found on the Internet - see The Wild Food School www.countrylovers.co.uk/wfs/wfsberries.htm which has some good photographs and advice for foragers. The Royal Horticultural Society www.rhs.org.uk has a list of plants that are potentially harmful to humans.
Always wash your harvest before eating! As well as the general dirt and pollution found in the urban environment, some trees may have been sprayed with chemicals. Anything growing low down may have been contaminated by dogs or foxes, and there could be insects (juicy maggots!) on the fruits that you don't want to eat.
We were asked whether acorns were edible: the information found on this suggests that some types are edible, but only after extensive preparation. You need to research what type of oak the acorns come from, white oaks tend to be more palatable than red oaks. They all contain bitter tannins that need to be boiled out, with several changes of water. It is quite a laborious process to make them into an acceptable substance which can be turned into flour, and the last time they were popular in Britain was when there was a famine! They are a traditional part of the American Indian diet and are also used to make noodles in Korea.
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