Fermented Hawthorn Berries – August is approaching – register for your fall semester herbal course during our Back to School Sale! Register now
Making your own hawthorn herbal infusion is a great way to pack a powerful nutritional punch from this member of the rose family. Using Hawthorne (
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Fermented Hawthorn Berries
Spp.) leaves, flowers and berries in a simple but refreshing herbal infusion, you can help prepare your body for the challenges of the winter season.
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An overnight hawthorn herbal infusion is a great addition to a late fall brunch with family and friends. Consider adding a hawthorn hedge to your own backyard pharmacy. Not only does it provide beautiful red berries for food and drink in the fall, each spring it bursts with gorgeous white flowers in time for May Day celebrations (Harford, 2020).
To learn more about the rich history and mythology of hawthorns, see the Herbal Academy’s blog post, Hawthorn Offerings, or try this recipe for Hawthorn Berry Cordial.
Easley, T., & Horne, S. (2016). The Modern Herbal Dispensary: A Guide to Making Medicines. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Harford, R. (2020). Hawthorn – a forage guide to its food, medicinal and other uses [online article]. Retrieved from https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/hawthorn-crataegus-monogyna
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Meghan Pivarnick Meghan Pivarnick is a Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism’s Evergreen Center. He runs a clinical practice called Red Fox Apothecary. As a therapist, she focuses on attention to detail, appreciation of each sensation, softness and deep listening. Meghan is grateful to have entered the lineage of holding space for people to discover their most important selves. You can contact her at [email protected].
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The information provided on Herbal Academy websites is for educational purposes only. Herbal Academy neither makes medical claims, nor intends to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Links to external sites are for informational purposes only. Herbal Academy neither endorses them nor is responsible in any way for their content. Readers must do their own research on the safety and use of any herbs or supplements. Harvesting hawthorn berries is a new one for me this year. They’re sweet and mild if you get them at the right time, and in years past I’ve been tasting them very early in the fall. This year, Washington Hawthorn was sweet and mild in late October. But by then, the single-seeded hawthorn had started to rot, so next year I’ll look for it in mid-October.
I give some credit to Josh Facteau’s recent hawthorn post, which inspired me to try hawthorn berries again. As Josh points out, there are many species of hawthorn, perhaps 50 in New England. And, in all of North America, according to George Symonds (from his wonderful book Tree Identification Book: A New Method for the Practical Identification and Recognition of Trees), perhaps a thousand species
Hawthorn Berry Capsules
, my favorite guide to learning tree ID). Fortunately, you don’t need to be able to identify the exact species. All you need to know is that it’s a hawthorn, because all hawthorns have edible berries. However, like apple seeds, hawthorn seeds contain cyanide, and should not be eaten. Don’t panic; Just throw away the seeds.
Why bother with Hawthorne? They are beautiful, interesting and delicious wild edibles with known health benefits. Some people use the berries to make hawthorn jelly, but I have yet to try this. The berries, leaves and flowers can be used to make a tea. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see how I make hawthorn berry extract.
I am going to describe two species here to illustrate common characteristics. It will help you recognize a Hawthorne when you see it, but i
If you are unsure whether you have hawthorn while foraging, please check with additional sources until you are certain, before consuming the berries.
Fresh Ripe Yellow Hawthorn Fruits Isolated On White Background Stock Photo
It grows as a small tree or large shrub and bears clusters of white flowers in late spring. Berries turn red in September (here), but turn sweet later. By October 31st, they had mellowed, and perhaps slightly past the peak. Each berry contains 3-5 seeds.
The leaves are lobed and toothed, as you can see in my photo above. Many other hawthorn species have similar leaves. The tree is armed with long thorns, up to about 3 inches in length. However, with reasonable care, you can easily harvest the berries, which hang off the branches. It is easier to season after many of the leaves have fallen and the thorns have become more obscure.
Also called common hawthorn, this is a European native that escaped cultivation and naturalized in North America. It is sometimes referred to as an invasive plant, but I don’t find it very often, and when I do see it, it’s not a lot in one area. It may be aggressive in other parts of the country, but it doesn’t seem to be particularly aggressive here. Like Washington hawthorn, single-seeded hawthorn grows as a shrub or small tree and bears clusters of white flowers in late spring. The oval red berries ripen a little earlier in the fall (than Washington hawthorn) and contain a single seed (hence the name). The toothed leaves are deeper than those of Washington hawthorn, but the spines are much smaller, only 1/2 inch to one inch in length.
Hawthorn is common in the forest understory here in Massachusetts, but they are poor specimens that don’t fruit well. It is very shady in the forest. To find fruit-laden hawthorns, look in sunny spots, such as shrub fields and thickets, along pasture edges and streams. It’s often planted as an ornamental, so if your friend has one and you don’t mind picking the berries, you have an easy foraging experience at your fingertips.
Crab Apples Fermented On The Tree
This is my first experience using hawthorn berries, and I am using them to make an extract, with the same process you would use to make vanilla extract. I hope to use hawthorn extract as a flavoring in cooking and baking. I filled a clean canning jar about 3/4 full with berries, covered it with 80 proof vodka and sealed the jar. I’m not sure how long it will take to get enough flavor out of the berries, so I’ll check it daily. I know that other extracts, (like vanilla extract) take weeks, so I expect that here. August is approaching – register for your fall semester herbal courses during our Back to School Sale! Register now
Harvesting hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) berries in late fall can make a basket of sweet red berries ideal for vitamin-rich homemade cordial (Harford, 2020). Blended with seasonal favorites including apple, rosehip (Rosa spp.), and cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.), this hawthorn berry homemade cordial is sure to delight and soothe.
The hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) tree offers many gifts: leaves, flowers, berries, and some herbalists also use thorns. Hawthorn supports the physical heart by acting as a cardiac tonic (Easley and Horne, 2016). Its berries have a sweet and sour taste (Tilgner, 2009). Among the most common hawthorn species are Crataegus monogynae, C. Oxycantha and C. Levigata is. All species of hawthorn have wellness benefits and are used similarly (De la Foret, 2017).
What better way to enjoy the gifts of hawthorn than to create an after-dinner cordial that can ease the stomach, open the heart and help celebrate the harvest season? This hawthorn berry cordial recipe is adapted from Alchemy by Rosalie de la Forret. Yield: 2 servings.
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This delightful hawthorn berry cordial calls for brandy, but you can use vodka, rum, or even whiskey when making homemade cordials (Winter, 2014). For more information on hawthorn (Crataegus spp.), including its history, legends and uses, see Hawthorn Offerings.
De la Forêt, R. (2017). The Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Cures That Heal. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.
Easley, T., & Horne, S. (2016). The Modern Herbal Dispensary: A Guide to Making Medicines. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Tilgner, S. (2009). Herbal Medicine: From the Heart of the Earth. Pleasant Hill, OR: Wise Acres LLC.
Hawthorn Cup Hi Res Stock Photography And Images
Winter, C. (2014). DIY: A friendly phenomenon – how to make your own flavored liqueur at home [online article]. Retrieved from https://inhabitat.com/diy-a-cordial-event-making-your-own-flavored-liqueurs-at-home/
Meghan Pivarnick Meghan Pivarnick is a Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism’s Evergreen Center. He runs a clinical practice called Red Fox Apothecary. As a therapist, she focuses on attention to detail, appreciation of each sensation, softness and deep listening. Meghan is grateful to have entered the lineage of holding space for people to discover their most important selves. You can contact her at [email protected].
Herbal Academy endorses trusted organizations with the use of affiliate links. Affiliate links are shared throughout the website and Herbal Academy may earn compensation if you make a purchase through these links.
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