I believe most of us would admit to remembering our first taste of this sweet, delicious nectar squeezed from a honeysuckle flower once we were growing up.
It appears to be a childhood ritual all over the world, but can honeysuckle do more for us than simply function a lovely and fragrant ornament or a source of fond childhood memories?
Can honeysuckle function a useful food source in a survival situation? What’s the purpose: are you able to eat honeysuckle to survive?
Yes, you may safely eat some species of honeysuckle. However, many are mildly toxic and needs to be avoided.
Whether you find it irresistible for its beauty and natural climbing ability, or despise it since it’s an aggressive and pesky invasive species, honeysuckle is more likely to stay here.
It is feasible to eat a secure species in a survival situation so long as they may be positively identified. Read on and we’ll inform you every thing.
Where is honeysuckle found?
Honeysuckle species may be found worldwide within the northern hemisphere, particularly in North America and far of Europe and Asia.
While nearly 200 species of honeysuckle may be found, a couple of are more practical (and invasive) than others and are disproportionately more more likely to be present in the wild.
Growing as a deciduous shrub with vine-like branches, these plants can grow over 10 feet tall under ideal conditions, with a couple of examples reaching 20 feet.
These plants, despite their delicate appearance, are quite hardy and simply take root in places where it’s neither too hot nor too cold.
Some species are also extremely popular as ornamental garden plants, meaning they may be present in urban and suburban areas where they’ve been intentionally or by accident replanted.
Wild plants are sometimes found around these zones or in unexpected places, because the berries of most species are popular with many herbivores, which helps the plant to breed elsewhere.
Note: Some honeysuckle plants are toxic
Before proceeding, know that almost all species of honeysuckle are toxic, although the overwhelming majority are only mildly poisonous. Most of them produce attractive, fragrant flowers and berries which are very tempting.
While no human deaths have been reported from eating these berries or other plant parts and toxic species, there have been cases of animal deaths that could cause disease in any case.
However, some species, namely honeysuckle or Lonicera caerulea has berries which are completely secure and delicious and may make a great meal together with other parts of the plant.
On the opposite hand, other species resembling fly honeysuckle and tartar honeysuckle are quite poisonous and you may have a really bad time in the event you eat the berries, and you may get sick in the event you eat every other a part of the plant.
There are many species of honeysuckle all over the world, although one or two species predominate in most regions.
If you intend to make use of wild edibles and honeysuckle particularly, you will need to learn to positively discover secure species in your area with no room for error.
Honeysuckle Nutritional Facts
Good dietary information on honeysuckle may be very hard to return by aside from the undeniable fact that we all know non-toxic species are perfectly fit for human consumption.
That being said, we all know that honeysuckle comprises a good assortment of vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, folic acid, and more.
In general, these plants may be relied upon to offer an affordable boost of nutrients and calories, and blueberries particularly may be a great source of quick energy and other vitamins essential for long-term health.
What does honeysuckle taste like?
Honeysuckle plants taste, as you may imagine, quite grassy with a particular bittersweet note related to the flowers and a few berries.
This is very noticeable when the plants are steamed as vegetables or soaked to be used in tea.
However, the taste of the berries themselves can vary depending on the species in the realm where they grow.
Some have a very savory, astringent flavor, with the notable exception of those berries grown on sweet berry species which have an exquisite honey-like flavor, much like the aroma of flowers.
Can you eat honeysuckle nectar?
Yes, you may safely eat the nectar of all honeysuckle plants.
However, other than the very transient yet deliciously sweet taste, you’ll want to eat a really colossal amount to get any real calories or other nutrients from it. Still, it may well be a great morale boost in a survival situation!
Can you eat honeysuckle flowers?
Yes, you may, assuming they’re from a secure species. The flowers are delicate to very delicate and are well suited to be eaten as a part of a salad or for dipping as a tea.
Can you eat honeysuckle stems and stems?
Yes again. All parts of the plant are fit for human consumption if the species is non-toxic. Honeysuckle vines and stems are generally higher barely cooked before eating to melt them, as they’ve a fibrous yet crunchy texture when eaten raw.
Can you eat honeysuckle berries?
Yes you may. Again, assuming they’re from a secure plant, although even berries from toxic species are only mildly toxic more often than not.
Of the secure species, they’re juicy, sweet and tart, similar to a blueberry. Several species produce splendidly sweet berries which are high in sugar, perfect for a fast energy boost. They all have a solid assortment of vitamins and minerals.
However, bear in mind that in the event you eat too many barriers to toxic species, chances are you’ll experience headache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea as a consequence.
Now is a great time to remind readers that they need to never eat any a part of the plant that they’ve not identified as 100% secure.
In case of doubt, it’s price searching for the recommendation of an authority on wild edible plants or in an extreme situation, perform a typical field edibility test.
Can you eat honeysuckle raw?
Yes you may. All parts of secure species of honeysuckle are fit for human consumption raw, although there could also be other complications related to eating any uncooked wild plant. Look below.
Are there any risks of eating honeysuckle?
The biggest risk of eating wild honeysuckle, other than eating toxic species which were misidentified, is the opportunity of food poisoning from a number of different harmful germs.
These germs normally cause fever, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and sometimes vomiting, resulting in rapid dehydration and electrolyte depletion, along with making you miserable as hell.
In a survival situation, dehydration can prove fatal in the event you are already sick or in case your body is stressed by injury or other illnesses.
While eating non-toxic honeysuckle species raw is nominally secure, it is often best to clean the plants thoroughly if possible, and if doubtful, gently boil them to eliminate these harmful germs before eating.
