Wild nuts and berries

Nuts and berries are among the easier wild foods to find, and nuts are rich in calories. But several poisonous berries look tempting, so only eat what you are 100% sure of. Learn in person and check a field guide for your region.

Blackberry (bramble)

• Thorny, arching stems with leaves in groups of three or five.
• Berries turn from green to red to shiny black, made of many small round segments.
• Ripe in late summer and early autumn. Pick high up, away from paths and roads.

Wild rose hips

• The red or orange fruit left on wild roses after flowering, in autumn and winter.
• Very high in vitamin C.
• The seeds inside are covered in irritating hairs. Cut open and scrape them out, or simmer the hips and strain through a fine cloth.

Hazelnuts

• Grow on shrubby trees with soft, round, toothed leaves.
• Nuts sit in a frilly green husk and ripen in early autumn.
• Can be eaten raw or roasted.

Sweet chestnut vs horse chestnut

• Sweet chestnut: spiny husk covered in many fine, needle-like spines, holding two or three flattened nuts with a pointed tip. Long, narrow leaves with saw-tooth edges. Roast or boil before eating.
• Horse chestnut (conker): husk with a few short, thick spikes, holding one round, shiny nut. Leaves shaped like a hand with five to seven fingers. Poisonous; don't eat.

Walnuts and beech nuts

• Walnuts can be eaten raw once the green husk is removed.
• Beech nuts are small and triangular. Eat only a few raw, or roast them; large amounts can upset the stomach.

Acorns

Acorns are bitter and contain tannins that can cause stomach upset. They must be shelled, crushed and soaked in several changes of water until the bitterness has gone before eating.

Berries to avoid

• Deadly nightshade: shiny black berries in a green star-shaped cup.
• Yew: red, cup-shaped fruit with a dark seed. Avoid entirely.
• Lords-and-ladies: clusters of bright red-orange berries on a short spike.
• Holly, ivy, mistletoe, privet, honeysuckle and many others are also poisonous.

Don't rely on rules about berry colour. Many people believe birds' choices or colour tell you what is safe; they don't.

Before eating

• Wash berries well.
• Throw away anything mouldy.
• Try a small amount first if it's new to you.
• Keep nuts dry, or they can grow harmful moulds.

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