Many poisonous animal and plant species have a striking color to warn predators. This is also how the intense orange fruits of the mountain ash appear due to their coloring. Many people consider it to be highly poisonous. But is that really true? You'll be amazed when you see jelly made from the fruit on the supermarket shelf. Here you can find out everything about the ingredients, toxicity and culinary uses of whitebeams.
Are whiteberries edible?
Wowberries (rowan) are not suitable for consumption when raw due to the toxic substance parasorbic acid they contain, as they cause stomach problems. However, intense heating, such as in cooking, renders the acid harmless, allowing it to be used to make liquor, cider, jelly and juice.
Appearance of the Whitebeam
- Shrub or tree with a height of up to 15 meters
- Bears white, panicle-shaped flowers in spring
- Fruit ripening in late summer or early autumn
- Forms small apple fruits with an intense red-orange color
Is the whitebeam poisonous?
Eating the whitebeam is strongly discouraged, but the whitebeam is not as poisonous as its reputation suggests. Consuming the raw fruits leads to severe intestinal irritation, stomach pain and vomiting. But the poisoning is not fatal.
Ingredients
Besides numerous tannins, vitamins, pectins and sorbitol, the whitebeam also contains the harmful parasorbic acid. The latter is the infamous toxin that causes stomach problems. However, the effect disappears when heated strongly.
Plant a whiteberry in your own garden?
Even if consuming the raw fruit does not result in death, you should carefully consider cultivating a rowan tree in the garden if you have children or a pet. Because of the striking color, the temptation is great to try some of the fruits. If you like watching birds, however, the shrub will attract many animals to your garden.
Culinary Use
Since you render the parasorbic acid harmless by boiling it, the whitebeam is still suitable for consumption when heated. The tree fruit is not used in medicine, but in culinary terms it is used to produce
- Schnaps
- Apple Cider
- Jelly
- Juice
