The image, above, shows the full bilberry plant (Vacciniummyrtillus), left, with a close up of the leaves and the
ripe, blue-black fruit, right..
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Common Name: Bilberry |
| Scientific Name: Vaccinium myrtillus |
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Other Names: Blaeberry, Whortleberry, Whinberry, Myrtle Blueberry, Fraughan and Huckleberry |
| Family: Ericaceae |
| Range: Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain, Macedonia, the Caucasus and N. Asia |
Physical Characteristics
Vaccinium myrtillus is a hardy deciduous shrub, growing to 20cm (8 in) by 0.3m (1 ft) in size. It is hardy to zone 3 and is not frost tender. The plant flowers from April to June and the fruit ripen from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by bees and lepidoptera, as well as being self fertile. It is noted for attracting insect life.
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| Edible Parts: Fruit, Leaves |
 Edibility Rating: 4 
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 Known Hazards: The leaves have a high tannin content which may cause digestive disorders in those susceptible. As a result, bilberry leaves should be avoided during pregnancy or if on anticoagulant therapy.
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Bilberry along with all the Bilberry containing recipes presented on this site, with 0 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Bilberry as a major wild food ingredient.
The bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus (also known as blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry, myrtle blueberry, fraughan, huckleberry) is an ericaceous (acid soil loving) shrubby bush that's a member of the Ericaceae (heath) family and is a close cousin of the familiar blueberry. This is a common plant in the uplands of Wales, where it is called Llus and the fruit of the wild bush is commonly collected in July (when ripe) to form jams, fools, juices or pies. The fruit contain large quantities of anthocyanidin flavonoid, a very strong antioxidant.
The fruit are delicious and sweet when ripe. They make excellent preserves and can be baked in sponges or made into pies. The fruit can also be dried and make a wonderful substitute for currants or blueberries. The dried leaves have traditionally been steeped in boiling water to prepare a tisane.
The term bilberry can also be used to describe related species in the family Ericaceae such as Vaccinium uliginosum (bog bilberry, bog blueberry, bog whortleberry, bog huckleberry, northern bilberry), Vaccinium caespitosum Michx. (dwarf bilberry), Vaccinium deliciosum Piper (Cascade bilberry), Vaccinium membranaceum (mountain bilberry, black mountain huckleberry, black huckleberry, twin-leaved huckleberry), and Vaccinium ovalifolium (oval-leafed blueberry, oval-leaved bilberry, mountain blueberry, high-bush blueberry). All of these plants share similar habitats to Vaccinium myrtillus and have similar, edible fruit.
Bilberries also make an excellent sauce for the accompaniment of lamb dishes. They are also wonderful in cakes (though it takes quite a while to collect enough!).
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Bilberry as a major wild food ingredient.
The bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus (also known as blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry, myrtle blueberry, fraughan, huckleberry) is an ericaceous (acid soil loving) shrubby bush that's a member of the Ericaceae (heath) family and is a close cousin of the familiar blueberry. This is a common plant in the uplands of Wales, where it is called Llus and the fruit of the wild bush is commonly collected in July (when ripe) to form jams, fools, juices or pies. The fruit contain large quantities of anthocyanidin flavonoid, a very strong antioxidant.
The fruit are delicious and sweet when ripe. They make excellent preserves and can be baked in sponges or made into pies. The fruit can also be dried and make a wonderful substitute for currants or blueberries. The dried leaves have traditionally been steeped in boiling water to prepare a tisane.
The term bilberry can also be used to describe related species in the family Ericaceae such as Vaccinium uliginosum (bog bilberry, bog blueberry, bog whortleberry, bog huckleberry, northern bilberry), Vaccinium caespitosum Michx. (dwarf bilberry), Vaccinium deliciosum Piper (Cascade bilberry), Vaccinium membranaceum (mountain bilberry, black mountain huckleberry, black huckleberry, twin-leaved huckleberry), and Vaccinium ovalifolium (oval-leafed blueberry, oval-leaved bilberry, mountain blueberry, high-bush blueberry). All of these plants share similar habitats to Vaccinium myrtillus and have similar, edible fruit.
Bilberries also make an excellent sauce for the accompaniment of lamb dishes. They are also wonderful in cakes (though it takes quite a while to collect enough!).
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Bilberry recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 0 recipes in total:
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Page 1 of 1