sunberry, wonderberry, Solanum Burbankii

[jennifer28]

I think i have this in my yard already but I don't trust it because I am not 100% sure about it. I am going to grow some wonderberry seeds that my friend gave me. Does anyone out there like wonderberries? Are they too bitter to eat without putting them in a jelly or pie? I would love your opinions on these.

[Wi-sunflower]

If you think you have them in your year, you probably don't.

I grew them a couple of years ago and will not grow them again. They look way too much like purple nightshade which is poisonous. We have the nightshade wild all over the place so I wouldn't trust that a plant or 2 slipped into the sunberry planting.

Be careful,
Carol

[janezee]

Jennifer, because you have a well-landscaped yard, you indeed, might have wonderberries, but I'm with Carol on the warning. Deadly nightshade is the weed that I was warned not to eat as a child in the woods of New England. I can't tell them apart, but that's because I haven't seen the DN for over 40 years.
A trip to the Extension Office or your local Master Gardener Program seems to be in order.

jane

[ChrisK]

I've grown them from seed purchased from SSE. They are virtually tasteless little bags of seeds eaten plain. They are also a pain to pick and keep whole. For me they were also whitefly factories. They tend to seed themselves in...everywhere.

However, they make a reasonable tasting beautiful purple jelly with lemon juice added to bring out some flavor.

http://thescientistgardener.blogspot...poisonous.html

[jennifer28]

Jane and Carol-
I should have explained that while I have what I think could be wonderberry in my yard, I would not eat it or plant seeds from it because I don't know what it is.

I got some seeds from my friend who is a master gardener in wisconsin, she is the same woman who sent me pepperoncini seeds. BUT--- you are correct, how would I know she really gave me the correct seed, all I can say is I would be pretty sure since she has eaten the berries and fed them to her son, so it's probably wonderberry.

ChrisK - thank you for the review, that is kind of what i was wondering - if it would be any good to eat. I kind of think I don't want the aggrevation. I may toss them into a one of my neighbor's yards, it is a woman I am not particularly fond of, anyway, LOL

[janezee]

lol you eco-terrorost! (Wrong spelling to defeat the Patriot Act)

[Wi-sunflower]

I got the seeds I grew from the SSE public catalog so I knew what I planted were the right stuff. But we have the nightshade pretty much everywhere. And most of my weeders aren't all that good at realizing it's a weed and not a pepper or tomato plant when it's small. So they tend to miss weeding them out. That's why I avoided it come harvest time.

Carol