Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Oregon Grape along with all the Oregon Grape containing recipes presented on this site, with 6 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 Oregon Grape as a major wild food ingredient.

Both are colloquially known as 'Oregon grape holly'. They are vigorous, low, spreading, evergreen shrub with glossy green, slightly prickly leaves becoming purplish in winter. Large clusters of yellow flowers appear in early spring, followed by black berries ripening in May. The berries are a part of the traditional diet of some indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest and the species serves as the state flower of Oregon.

Mahonia aquifolium grows to 1–3 metres tall by 1.5m wide. The stems and twigs have a thickened, corky appearance. The leaves are pinnate and up to 30cm long, comprising spiny leaflets. The leathery leaves resemble those of holly. The yellow flowers are borne in dense clusters 3–6 cm (1+1⁄4–2+1⁄4 in) long in late spring. Each of the six stamens terminates in two spreading branches. The six yellow petals are enclosed by six yellow sepals. At the base of the flower are three greenish-yellow bracts, less than half as long as the sepals. The spherical berries are up to 1cm wide, dark dusty-blue, and tart in taste

Berberis aquifolium is a popular subject in shady or woodland plantings. It is valued for its striking foliage and flowers, which often appear before those of other shrubs. It is resistant to summer drought, tolerates poor soils, and does not create excessive leaf litter. Its berries attract birds.

The small purplish-black fruit, which are quite tart and contain large seeds, are edible raw after the season's first frosts. They were included in small quantities in the traditional diets of Pacific Northwest tribes, mixed with salal or another sweeter fruit. Today, they are sometimes used to make jelly, alone or mixed with salal. Oregon-grape juice can be fermented to make wine, similar to European barberry wine folk traditions, although it requires an unusually high amount of sugar

Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is almost as large as a blackcurrant and is produced in large bunches so it is easy to harvest[K]. It has an acid flavour, but it is rather nice raw and is especially good when added to a porridge or muesli. Unfortunately, there is relatively little flesh and a lot of seeds, though some plants have larger and juicier fruit. The cooked fruit tastes somewhat like blackcurrants. The fruit can also be dried and stored for later use[257]. Flowers - raw. They can also be used to make a lemonade-like drink.

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