| Date | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 14, 2010 | Southeastern, New Hampshire |
Japanese Barberry shrub that grows 3 to 6 feet tall often with many spiny branches. The spines
are thin, long and sharp! The branches are deeply grooved. At each node there are 2 - 6 spatula
to oval-shaped leaves. The leaf margins are untoothed (entire). The flowers (not pictured) appear
in mid-Spring to early Summer. Red fruit appears in the late Summer and early Fall and can last
through the Winter. Japanese Barberry is very similar to Common Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) except that the leaf margins of Japanese Barberry leaves are untoothed while the leaf margins of Common Barberry leaves are finely toothed. Ripe Japanese Barberry (and Common Barberry) fruit is edible, but very sour. Reportedly, it is very good for jams and jellies and for juices after diluting and sweetening. The berries are high in Vitamin C. |
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| Date | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 16, 2010 | Southeastern, New Hampshire | Better pictures of the berries. |
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| Date | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 14, 2010 | Southeastern, New Hampshire | Picked 1-1/2 cups of Japanese Barberry berries. I waited way too long to pick them. Should have done it 3 weeks ago. There were many fewer berries available (animals probably got them) and the quality was poor. Even with a decent amount of honey and apple juice the taste is: yuck! Next year I will catch the berries earlier. |
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| Date | Location | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2011 | Southeastern, New Hampshire |
I have nibbled on young Japanese Barberry leaves a few times.
Wildman Steve Brill has a Wild Food
Application and has proven very useful. He says that the berries are unpleasant and
bitter which I comfirmed last year when I tried making Japanese Barberry jam. He goes
on to say that the young leaves have a pleasant sour taste. Well, I've been trying
them for the last couple of weeks using the youngest possible leaves and I agree that
there is initially a pleasant sour taste, but it is quickly followed by an unpleasant
bitter aftertaste. Maybe I will have to try in mid-April next year. |
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