Nannyberry...

[elevan]

Yesterday I took a plant specimen to the county extension office for identification. I had the guy stumped...looked like a blueberry but at the same time not...had characteristics of elderberry but we knew that wasn't it. Was it a hybrid of the two? That's what he thought at first. He said he'd have to do some research and get back to me.

My goats and llama love the bush. It grows quite prolifically here and they will take a stand of it right to the ground. It's got loads of blue berries on it and I hoped it would be edible to humans...I knew it wasn't causing any harm to the animals who were eating it.

He called me back a little while ago with a name - Nannyberry. I just had to laugh! How appropriate of a name is that?!?

Turns out it is indeed edible to animals and humans. Berries ripen at the end of this month here so I'll be harvesting and making some nannyberry jam.

 

[ksalvagno]

I bet that is what we have at the back of our property. We were just discussing what it could possibly be. Cool!

 

[elevan]

I'll try to get some good pictures of it to post.

 

[ksalvagno]

Here are pictures of what I have:

 

[elevan]

Yep! That's the Nannyberry!

 

[redtailgal]

x

 

[ksalvagno]

Well, DH tried one. The look on his face was priceless! Needless to say, they definitely aren't ready to eat yet.

 

[elevan]

It does look like our elderberry.......but we know ours is an elderberry.

We never get to eat the berries though, the birds enjoy them too much.

Yeah, it has characteristics of the elderberry, such as the way the berries cluster. The berries resemble blueberries and the leaves are similar to the blueberry except the blueberry doesn't have opposite leaves and the nannyberry does.

We are lucky enough to be able to get elderberries and (now) nannyberries before the birds for some reason...we just have to beat the goats as they love them too.
If we like the results of the nannyberry jam that I plan to make we'll fence around the majority of the bushes to protect them from the goats as we have the elderberries

My youngest boy turns his fingers and face purple from eating elderberries straight from the bush! I can't stand them unsweetened...too bitter.

 

[elevan]

Well, DH tried one. The look on his face was priceless! Needless to say, they definitely aren't ready to eat yet.

From what I've been able to research they'll be ready in late August to mid September in our area of Ohio And it seems that they are best used dried or heavily sweetened (which is why I plan to make jam)

 

[Ms. Research]

Glad to hear "the Mystery of the Berry" has been solved. (Big Mystery reader, sorry). Will look forward to read how your jam comes out with your "Nanny" berries.

Hope the goats and llama get them all before the end of August.