How To Use Dry Hawthorn Berries – Harvesting hawthorn berries is new to me this year. They are sweet and mild if you get them at just the right time, and in years past I have tasted them too early in the fall. This year, Washington hawthorn was sweet and mild in late October. But by then the one-seeded hawthorn started rotting, so next year I’ll be looking for them in mid-October.
I owe some credit to Josh Fecteau’s recent hawthorn post for inspiring 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 possibly a thousand species according to George Symonds (from his wonderful book Tree Identification Book: A New Method for the Practical Identification and Recognition of Trees
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How To Use Dry Hawthorn Berries
, my favorite for learning tree identification). Fortunately, you don’t have to be able to identify specific species. All you need to know is that it’s a hawthorn because all hawthorns have edible berries. BUT, like apple seeds, hawthorn seeds contain cyanide and should not be eaten. Don’t panic; spit out only the seeds.
Hawthorn Berries 4 Oz.
Why bother with hawthorn? They are beautiful, interesting and tasty wild edibles with known health benefits. Some people use the berries to make hawthorn jelly, but I haven’t tried this yet. Berries, leaves and flowers can be used to make tea. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see how I make hawthorn extract.
I’m going to describe two species here as examples of common characteristics. That should help you recognize a hawthorn when you see one, but i
If you are unsure whether you have hawthorn, check with other sources before eating the berries until you are sure.
This grows as a small tree or large shrub, bearing white flowers in late spring. The berries turn red in September (here), but become sweet later. By October 31st they were sweet and maybe a little over the top. Each berry has 3-5 seeds.
The History, Mythology, And Offerings Of Hawthorn
The leaves are lobed and toothed as you can see in my photo above. Many other hawthorn species have similar leaves. The tree is heavily armed with long spines up to about 3 inches in length. However, with reasonable care, you can easily harvest the berries that usually hang from the branch. It’s even easier later in the season when many of the leaves have fallen and are no longer covering the spikes.
Also called common hawthorn, this is a native of Europe that has escaped cultivation and naturalized in North America. Sometimes it’s labeled as an invasive plant, but I don’t find it very often, and when I do, it’s not a lot in one area. Maybe it’s invasive 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, with white flowers in late spring. The oval red berries ripen slightly earlier (than Washington hawthorn) in the fall and contain one seed (hence the name). The toothed leaves are more deeply lobed than Washington hawthorn, but the spines are much smaller, only about 1/2 inch to 1 inch long.
Hawthorns are common in forest understory here in Massachusetts, but they are brittle specimens that do not produce fruit well. It’s too shady in the forest. To find fruiting hawthorns, look in sunny places such as bushy fields and thickets, pasture edges and along streams. They’re often planted as ornamentals, so if your friend has one and doesn’t mind you picking berries, you’ll have an easy foraging experience at your fingertips.
This is my first experience using hawthorn berries and I use them to make the extract using the same process you would make vanilla extract. I hope to be able to use hawthorn extract as a flavoring agent in cooking and baking. I filled a clean canning jar about 3/4 full with berries, covered them with 80 proof vodka and sealed the jar. I’m not sure how long it will take to get enough flavor from the berries, so I’ll check it daily. I know other extracts (like vanilla extract) take weeks, so that’s what I’m waiting for here. Hawthorn has a long history of use in traditional Western herbal medicine and is well-loved for its affinity for the heart. Red berries
Bulk Hawthorn Berry Tea |online Herb Store
Have been an ingredient in jams, wines, sweets and confections for centuries. Belonging to the rose family, hawthorn is a large shrub covered in sharp thorns. Sometimes spelled rowan, the berries are picked fully ripe in autumn before the first frost. Hawthorn berry is often macerated in herbal vinegar and syrups, stewed ash hawthorn or used in tinctures.
Hawthorn leaves, flowers and berries have been praised for centuries for their heart-lifting properties. Hawthorn was believed to uplift and strengthen both the physical and emotional heart, supporting healthy cardiovascular function, and was also revered for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. The tasty red berries have been used in candies, jams, jellies, wines and cordials, and are widely available in many forms as a dietary supplement.
Is a spiny shrub or tree with stems and trunks composed of hard wood and gray bark, often with trifoliate leaves and white flowers similar to other genera in the genus Rosacea with bright red berries. About 280 species are known, several of which are used in traditional medicine and can be used interchangeably. Generally,
Is derived from the Greek word “kratos” which means hardness and refers to wood, “oxcus” which means “sharp” and “akantha” which is a thorn. In several European countries, especially Germany, hawthorn was used as a hedge, “haw” being the older term for “hedge”. This shrub was also called “white drop” because of its pale bark.
Hawthorn Berry Dried Herb
Most hawthorn grown commercially comes from the UK and other countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, the former Yugoslavia and Poland. Collect flowering branches in spring, as all parts (leaves, twigs, thorns, flowers) can be used for fresh tincture. Or if drying, discard stems and thorns. The berries are best harvested in autumn, when they are fully ripe, and before the first frost.
Hawthorn has been used since the Middle Ages, with some accounts going all the way back to the first century Greek herbalist Dioscorides. It was later used by the Swiss physician Paracelsus (1493–1541 AD). The hawthorn was considered a particularly symbolic tree around which many folk tales and magical myths surround. Hawthorn was a “sacred tree medicine” for the ancient Druids and was said to keep house fairies, especially when grown with oak and ash trees. However, bringing flowers into the house was unlucky because they would bring the fairy folk with them. Hawthorn branches and flowers were incorporated into the wedding wreath, symbolizing chastity and prosperity at Greek weddings, and were also used to decorate altars worshiping Hymen, the goddess of marriage. In Ireland, couples who wanted the hawthorn’s blessing danced around it at wedding ceremonies. The branches were attached to the cradles of newborns to protect them from evil, and were also used to decorate the grave for the May Day or Beltane ceremony, which celebrated fertility and renewal. The flowering of this tree coincided with the first day of summer, which occurred in May.
In traditional European medicine, all parts of the tree were valued and used: leaves, berries, flowers and wood. The flowers were used as a heart tonic and diuretic, and the berries and leaves were made into an astringent tea to soothe the throat. A tasty brandy cordial was also made from the bright red luxurious berries. In addition, smaller objects such as boxes and combs were carved from the wood and burned as fuel, creating very hot fires.
Hawthorn or “shanzha” has been used in TCM since ancient times, but most historical uses were related to digestion until recently. Energetically considered slightly warm, it is associated with the Spleen, Stomach and Liver meridians and reflects both sweet and sour tastes. Currently, it is also used to support the cardiovascular system, and in fact, in China, the berries are so popular that they are made into hawthorn candies, similar to the “fruit rolls” of the West.
Dried Hawthorn Berries
Many herbalists consider hawthorn to be an excellent heart-strengthening agent. However, its effects on the heart are manifold. Hawthorn is also considered by many to have an emotional or spiritual heart altering effect. Herbalist Matthew Becker suggests that hawthorn is especially helpful for women with a “broken heart,” meaning those who “feel wounded and hurt.” Flowers and leaves are often used to make flower essences to deal with such emotional problems. Hawthorn is energetically considered slightly warm and tastes both sour and sweet.
Precautions Please note that sometimes a white film forms on hawthorn berries. This is natural sucrose that ripens in the outer shell. We recommend that you turn to qualified healthcare