Rowan Flower Edibility

[Amoeba]

I've been searching all over the place for info on whether rowan flowers can be eaten.

(Don't worry, I reckognise the importance of rowan to wildlife, so like with fruit I would never take more than my fair share)

Does anybody know here if they are safe for human consumption? I can't find anywhere that even mentions if they can be eaten or not.

Thanks.

[Hedge Witch]

I thought that they possibly were OK to eat until I read the following from Wild Food by Ray Mears (AKA God ) and Gordon Hillman (2007):

The literature has a range of recommendations for ways of preparing rowan fruits as food.....All the results were distinctly unpalatable, so we think it unlikely that rowan berries made a regular and substantial contribution to the human diet in prehistory.
Also, the berries contain a number of toxic compounds. There is evidence that they can cause poisoning, and some of the symptoms - convulsions, respiratory distress - are quite alarming, so beware.

After reading that, I certainly won't be consuming any

[The Woodman]

A folk lore rule of thumb - never eat flowers that are not pollinated by honeybees. Rowan flowers are not pollinated by honey bees, but by other insects.

Thats all it is - folk lore - some of which is erroneous!

[earthdragon64]

I don't know about the flowers, but Rowan Berry Jelly is made commercially by a few companies. I've eaten it many times without ill effect, and have also made and eaten jelly from both of my Rowan trees, one has the normal red berries, the other yellow. It's a great with venison or roast beef.

[Gypsy Orchid]

I have also Rowan jelly and used the berries in wine. Not very good on there own but ok when mixed with other hedgerow berries.
Sylv

[Amoeba]

Yeah I know quite a bit about the berries but what about the flowers?

[ron1863]

Rowan berries contain sorbic acid. Raw berries also contain parasorbic acid (about 0.4%-0.7% in the European rowan), which causes indigestion and can lead to kidney damage, but heat treatment (cooking, heat-drying etc.) and, to a lesser extent, freezing, neutralises it, by changing it to the benign sorbic acid. Luckily, they are usually too astringent to be palatable when raw. Collecting them after first frost (or putting in the freezer) cuts down on the bitter taste as well.

ROWAN WINE

2 lb. rowan berries
2 oranges
3 lb. sugar
2 tsp. dried yeast
1/2 gallon boiling water

Remove the stalks from the berries, wash and place in a fermentation bin. Pour the boiling water over them and leave for three days, stirring daily. Put 1.5 pints of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the sugar to make a syrup then add to the fermentation bin along with the juice and grated rind of the oranges. Stir thoroughly and then strain into a demi-jon. Top up with cooled, boiled water, add the yeast and leave to ferment out. When fermentation is complete rack off into a clear demi-jon and leave to clear. Bottle when clear.

Cheers

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by ron1863

Rowan berries contain sorbic acid. Raw berries also contain parasorbic acid (about 0.4%-0.7% in the European rowan), which causes indigestion and can lead to kidney damage, but heat treatment (cooking, heat-drying etc.) and, to a lesser extent, freezing, neutralises it, by changing it to the benign sorbic acid. Luckily, they are usually too astringent to be palatable when raw. Collecting them after first frost (or putting in the freezer) cuts down on the bitter taste as well.

ROWAN WINE

2 lb. rowan berries
2 oranges
3 lb. sugar
2 tsp. dried yeast
1/2 gallon boiling water

Remove the stalks from the berries, wash and place in a fermentation bin. Pour the boiling water over them and leave for three days, stirring daily. Put 1.5 pints of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the sugar to make a syrup then add to the fermentation bin along with the juice and grated rind of the oranges. Stir thoroughly and then strain into a demi-jon. Top up with cooled, boiled water, add the yeast and leave to ferment out. When fermentation is complete rack off into a clear demi-jon and leave to clear. Bottle when clear.

Cheers

What does it taste like Ron.

[Meta menardi]

I have made this. It tastes quite good, if you make it dry it is quite an interesting slightly acidic taste, very slightly like red currant taste.

As far as the flowers go, I have never found the smell very pleasant so I have never tried anything with them. Go for the Elderberry flower, that is a delight and has quite a sophisticated complex flavour.

I appreciate that what you taste effects the tastes you get. One of the saddest days of my life (who am I kidding) was finding that 5 galls of Sloe wine had leaked away to about 4 pints, and they were glorious, after bottling and maturing.

My wild fruit wine making days were really over once we left Shropshire, the sun and the fruit there beat Cumbria.

[tcvarlh]

Rowan berry makes one of the worlds' most expensive schnaps, but I've looked thru' my recipes and find no flower recipe. You could just try a small amount. I don't see why you can't make a wine from them, they are Rosaceae. Wine can be made from most of the rose family blossoms.

Waes hal !