Food from the Wild - Food to Avoid
Nuts
There are no poisonous nuts in Britain. Identification book: see Plants.
Seaweed
Seaweeds as a species are like plants, generally dying down in winter and
growing again in spring and, as with plants, the younger they are the better
they taste. There are no poisonous varieties of seaweed growing in British
waters. Identification book: Collins Pocket Guide to the Sea Shore,
J. Barrett and C. M. Yonge (Collins).
Fish
Except for jellyfish and some tropical species, there are no poisonous fish.
However, once dead, fish deteriorate quickly and should always be eaten as
fresh as possible. As a rule beware of fish with flabby skins, slimy gills
and sunken eyes, fish that smell and dent permanently when pressed with a
thumb. Identification book: Oxford Book of Vertebrates, Marion Nixon
and Derek Whiteley (OUP).
Molluscs
Edible throughout the year but best avoided during the breeding season - hence
the saw advising against eating molluscs when there is an 'r' in the month.
Not only does this ensure next year's supply of molluscs but they also taste
inferior at this time. Since most bivalves-molluscs such as mussels with shells
in two halves-feed by pumping water through themselves and filtering out the
food particles, molluscs which live in dirty water, near human habitation
or where sewage is pumped into the sea should be avoided. Dead molluscs decompose
rapidly so always ensure that any you intend to eat are alive. Test this by
prising open the shells a fraction; if they snap shut again immediately, the
mollusc is alive. If the shell is already open or fails to close, it is probably
dead or dying and should be discarded. Identification book: Collins Pocket
Guide to the Sea Shore, J. Barrett and C. M. Yonge (Collins).
Animals
No animal is poisonous but they are composed, as we all are, of what they
eat. Therefore any animal which is carnivorous or fed on inferior fodder will
not have the juicy, sweet meat of one which has been eating good, succulent
pasture. Identification book: Oxford Book of Vertebrates, Marion
Nixon and Derek Whiteley (OUP).
Birds
Although no birds are poisonous, like animals their meat is affected by their
diet and this makes some, especially sea birds, rank and inedible. Study the
diet of the bird and remember that it is this, recycled, which you will be
eating. Identification book: A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and
Europe, Peterson, Mountfort and Hollom (Collins).
Fungi
The golden rule with fungi is always to identify precisely before eating.
There are several good guides; the Collins guide (see below) is an excellent
one with a complete list of edible fungi. Our fear of fungi has led to the
neglect of this enormous and rich source of food. Fungi you pick from the
wild will have infinitely more flavour than any you can buy. Ninety per cent
of deaths can be attributed to three fungi, the death cap Amanita phalloides
(a greenish to creamcoloured cap and distinct volval ring, it grows in
deciduous woods, especially beech and oak), its relation the destroying angel
Amanita virosa (wholly white fungi with white gills, a volval ring
and found in deciduous woods on poor soil) and the rare fool's mushroom, Amanita
verna. There are also many others which are slightly poisonous or which
tend to produce an allergy in certain people. Therefore, if it is a species
which you have not tried before, eat a limited quantity first time. Identification
book: Collins Guide to Mushrooms & Toadstools, Morten Lange and
Bayard Hora (Collins).
Plants
All species of buttercup (Ranunculus) are poisonous as are all spurge
(Euphorbia) and the two species of hellebore, Helleborus foetidus
and H. viridis. Hemlock (Conium maculatum) was the deadly
draught given to Socrates and deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna)
the source of belladona. Although the foxglove produces Digitalis, the drug
used in the cure of heart diseases, it is poisonous in large quantitites.
All the following are poisonous columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), baneberry
(Actaea spicata), alder (Frangula alnus), buckthorn (Rhamnus
cathartica), bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara), cowbane (Cicuta
virosa), black nightshade (Solanum nigrum), spindle tree (Euonymus
europaeus), monkshood (Aconitum anglicum), baneberry (Actaea
spicata), privet (Ligustrum vulgare), mezereon, (Daphne
mezereum), laurel (Daphne laureola), mistletoe (Viscum album),
Ivy (Hedera helix), tubular water dropwort (Oenanthe fistulosa),
hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata), fine-leaved water dropwort
(Oenanthe aquatica), fool's parsley (Aethusa cynapium),
white bryony (Bryonia dioica), dog's mercury (Mercurialis perennis),
henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), thorn-apple (Datura stramonium),
lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis), fritillary (Fritillaria
meleagris), meadow saffron (Colchicum autmnals), darnel ryegrass
(Lolium temulentum), yew (Taxus baccata).
Identification books: The Concise British Flora in Colour, W. Keble
Martin, Michael Joseph (Ebury Press). Oxford Book of Flowerless Plants,
F. H. Brightman (OUP).
