Comments on: Wild berry scare

By: Pumpkin

Pumpkin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:36:13 +0000

They are small so they must be currents. My Inlaws have two bushes in their garden and they look exactly like those but the berries are green instead of red…most likely because the berries aren’t ripe yet.

By: christina

christina — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:27:32 +0000

Now that I look at them again, they COULD actually be currants. If they’re really small they’re unripe currents, and if they’re bigger than a marble, they’re gooseberries. The two must be related because the leaves are suprisingly similar. Whatever they are, they ARE edible.

By: Pumpkin

Pumpkin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:38:53 +0000

Thanks everyone! Your comments have double reassured me. I may have to go pick some when they turn red without telling the kids so that we can enjoy them! :)

I hope that they never do that again!!!!

By: SwissGuy

SwissGuy — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:24:51 +0000

…also known as redcurrant. They are edible when ripe (red), though quite sour. You can use them to make ice cream.

By: anne

anne — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:59:50 +0000

I was just going to say what Christina has said…yes these are Gooseberries…look out for them when they are red!!

what a scare that can be though…pleased for you that it all turned out fine :-)

By: christina

christina — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:21:21 +0000

Wow, I’m so glad they’re OK! I think they probably learned their lesson just seeing the look on your face. When I was about 5 I ate a wild mushroom off the lawn when I was at a babysitter’s and everyone but me got into a tizzy. It turned out not to be poisonous, but I sure learned never to do that again!

Those are gooseberries – Stachelbeeren in German, groseille a maquereaux in French – totally harmless, although quite sour when they’re not ripe. The worst you’d probably get from them is a stomach ache. Tons of people grow them in their gardens in Germany.

Maybe you should get a neighbour to go out with you and the kids and show you which berries are safe (not that they should eat them without asking you, but at least they’d know) and which should never, ever be eaten?

By: expatraveler

expatraveler — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:20:20 +0000

Ouch! I’d rather let them play outside but I think helping you do something in place of doing this might be a good deed on their part. That is so scary indeed and I am happy those berries are harmless as well. Possibly the oldest will help be the judge next time and make sure they all don’t dare eat anything foreign! By the way, I’ve been shown some incredible tasting vegetation that is edible around Switzerland, yet I would never dare to do that on my own either…

By: might i add...?

might i add...? — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:26:07 +0000

I think they might be gooseberries. Here are a couple of links to pictures I found on the internet:

(green) gooseberries http://www.boxtedberries.com/mail/fruit-news.html
(red) gooseberries http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/soft_bush_and_cane_fruits/gooseberry_hinnonmaki_red/

I remember being forced to try them at camp when I was a child. Really tart. I didn’t like them.