Growing up in the 1960's and 70's, on the edge of a very small town, surrounded by cow pastures, and forest, most of the old timers were petrified of us eating any small berry that wasn't a blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, or wild strawberry. But a few old timers knew where the sassafras trees grew, where "Indian tobacco" grew, and they grew current bushes in their yards, and harvested the dandelions - roots and all. I LOVED walking around with a strand of fresh hay, or alfalfa between my teeth, and "experiment" by nibbling small amounts of various eaves, seeds, or berries. I don't know what made us dig up the roots of a small herbaceous plant we found in the undergrowth of the woods, but the town's public library helped us identify it as American ginseng. We thought we "struck it rich," until we could find nobody that would buy it from us. I know that every once in a while, for shock value, I'd eat 1 or two berries of bittersweet nightshade, and, because I wasn't sure, only 2 or 3 of the deep purple berries of black nightshade (one of those old timers told me that some types of nightshade could be eaten when fully ripe, and no longe showed any geen, but never clarified the comment once he realized that he was probably going to get blamed if I ended up sick or dead). Alas, I know that I've seen black nightshade in the backyard, but on the slight chance that my young grandkids are like me, I can't admit that I have, or will eat any small backyard berries. Besides, my wife made it very clear when the kids were little, that, except for blackberries and raspberries, if I ever let them partake in eating a wild berries or mushrooms, they WOULD be the cause of my demise. That reminds me of an old man who was widowed 4 times. I asked him what his 1st wife died from, and he said "wild mushroom poisoning." I asked him what his 2nd and 3rd died from, and the answer was the same for each: "wild mushroom poisoning." I told him that was most unfortunate, and I hoped that he learned to help them identify the edible from poisonous mushrooms, then asked, "so if you don't mind me asking, what did your 4th wife die of?" He said "shotgun wound." I said "Oh man, you've had the worst luck with wives, but I have to ask, how did she get shot?" He said "she wouldn't eat the damn mushrooms!"
Thanks for the identification comparisons between other nightshades. I have eaten them since a little girl after my grandfather taught me how to safely eat them. I learnt in recent years that they are actually excellent for treatment conditions like Dengue Fever, having used it that way for myself i took onky 4 or 5 berries and the symtoms of Dengue fever were gone within 2 hours. I learnt this from a medicine man in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Thanks again
Thanks! I have these in my backyard and my old neighbor years ago told me they were poisonous. Very surprising that they are actually not. I don't plan on foraging them but I feel a lot better about them growing in my yard.
@@JoseMolina-ij3xx If green tomatos are poisonous then what about fried green tomatoes? Does the cooking cancel the poison compounds? They sure are delicious and I've never known a family member to be negatively affected by eating some.
It's extremely nutritious. That's a staple in my life town. We call it Njama njama and eat it every single day. Harvest, wash well and chop some onions,1 or 2 tomatoes, cook like you would spinach. It's very delicious.
I have used them as a replacement for tomato in a nightshade, basil, mozzarella, vinegar and oil salad ... man oh man was it tasty ! 👍 Never thought of using them as a sweet berry but I will try it out ! Thank you !
That sounds so good! They smell like salsa to me when i pick them. I'm hoping to make a sweet jam out of them, and maybe a tart relish, with the ones i pick this year.
Super informative, thank you! So many people hear the word black nightshade and immediately think it's poisonous. The link to that pdf was fabulous, really provided a lot of sources that dispels the myth. I'm going to let them grow now and enjoy :)
Ah- we’ve always been so confused about this plant (because of the mixed messages we got) my family always ate this in a soup growing up- we were then told it was poisonous- which was very confusing! Turns out others were just misinformed!
I have 4 bushes growing in my garden about 6ft tall. I’m in South Florida and even with the drought we’re having right now they are striving with no issues. Great video ✅👩🌾
We had a massive heat wave where I live in northern Cali, and they grow like weeds out here (I live in a forest). The stalks grew during summer, but it wasn't until Autumn when the weather cooled that they all bloomed and the berries grew and ripened. I'm really surprised how hardy they are.
Thanks bunches! We just discovered it in our yard just outside our gate to keep our goats safely inside our paddock . I asked Siri if American Black Nightshade was poisonous to humans or livestock and she directed me to your article with this TH-cam video. I have only been on my foraging journey two years, so now that I found your channel I have subscribed and asked for all notifications. Please continue your informative channel; you are needed and greatly appreciated.
I thought the same thing! I tried it because I knew even if it was poisonous, I’d be fine even with just one, and I’m glad to find out I can keep eating them.
Thank you, great info . I did a Google photo search as I have some in my garden. I thought it was the deadly nightshade until I saw your video. Now I know the difference. Thank you x😊
Thank you! I brought one home this year and as you said it is huge. Even among avid Forager’s and herbalists here in the Pacific Northwest everyone is scared to death of anything nightshade. I myself even would experiment with just chewing a little bit and then spitting it out because of all the terrible things I had heard. I’m excited this year to make a jam from us hundreds of berries.Thank you for helping to spread the truth about this amazing plant
Wow. Thank you for your video. I just found these growing and didnt know what they were. Google made them out to be poisonous. You really cleared that up for me and ecplained the differences. Thank you.
Thank you. I live in the metro and the arguments about this drive me nuts! I've got Bittersweet and Black in my yard, so I was able to make a video. And then used your video to solidify that white flower and black berry isn't poison.
Awesome video! I’m down in Texas, and these popped up in my garden a couple of years ago. I heard birds like them, so I let them grow, and it turned out that the bugs like it even more! I’m using it as a trap crop to keep the many species of grasshopper busy😅. I am a home sewist, and I love to dye fabrics with natural dyes, especially from native plants.This year I’ve decided to harvest all the berries I can, and dye a few flour sack towels with them. I think the color will look really nice with my Malabar Spinach Berry Pink dye, and the Texas Dandelion Yellow-peach dye that I make in early summer. Workin’ on a foraged dye rainbow, I guess!🌈❤️
Thank you for this video! My husband and I were given a plant by a friend, they had bought a couple huckleberry plants when they went on vacation last year and they gave us one. For an entire year we thought it was a huckleberry until yesterday I did some investigating and realized that our plant didn't match any type of huckleberry. Come to find out, it's actually a Black Nightshade! I was extremely nervous when I figured it out, but thank you for clearing up that it's not deadly like it's look-alike.
Thank you so much for the video with explanation . We are based from Southern part of India and black night shade leaf and flower has always been a part of staple food for our family. We are in UK now and I was reading a book to my son about plants and it's mentioned as the night shade berries are poisonous and just 4 of it is enough to get a person killed . I didn't know what to tell my son as he loves eating those berries from our terrace garden where we grow it . Ur video rightly explained and helped us to get clarity on this .. lovely and thorough explanation. ❤ thank you
In California they grow into like ten foot tall plants, even if they are growing out of a crack in the concrete on my porch. But it's the same plant and your video is more accurate than many other videos about it. I am pretty sure the 3 species names you mentioned are actually all the same plant and tiny differences in flower color and size got them named differently.
@@jypsyjewels2854 Haha! I had one grow out of the crack in the concrete in a covered porch. Despite nobody watering it and no light it grew into something the size of a shrub. There are many cultivated varieties of this plant that was eaten by humans before we were Homo sapiens and many wild versions, I would love some seeds of the one in Texas because it's probably a bit different than the ones in California but you should research the history of this plant.
I Love these little plants they are amazing. I live in Phoenix AZ and had a storm blow over a tree in back yard a few years ago and all these plants started popping up I thought they were weeds, but then I noticed the birds were going crazy for these plants and then noticed they were eating the berries. Lots of purple bird droppings everywhere and thought if they could eat them there must be something good about them. After researching I found out that I had the Black Nightshade growing everywhere were the dirt was exposed I didn't even water them just thriving on their own. I've since had landscape done and now they are popping up in random places in the rocks. I've tried transplanting the nicer ones to see how they do in garden soil which they seem pretty happy to be in also, it's fall now and not so hot but now have more flowers showing so it will be interesting to see if they grow berries when it's cooler. The berries to me taste like a cross between Tomatillos, blue berries and cherry tomatoes. I haven't' had the nerve to eat the leaves yet...lol I love your idea of putting them on yogurt.
tender ends are best if you're into bitter greens. they taste better when boil. many Asians drink the stock like water. I prefer that to green tea honestly. it has a better taste, for a better lack of words.
One of these popped up in the middle of my garden this summer. Planted by birds obviously. The berries are delicious! Kudos for making such a compensative and responsible video!!!
Thank you so much for clarifying the difference between black and deadly nightshade. I have several varieties of nightshade, because I love them. I knew one was edible, but now I know which one I can eat!
Thanks for the video. I found the comparisons were most helpful. I have a green thumb for growing plants that I did not plant; so far not so much luck with things I actually planted. 😢 I’ll let the plant continue to grow and see if the berries turn back in color so I can try them.
Just got done having a caprese salad and added the berries instead of tomatoes, WOW WOW WOW!!! So delicous, unreal. I drizzled olive oil & balsamic vinegar. So so good. The balsamic really enhances the flavor of the berries.
Thank you. I have these plants in the garden and am testing them for adverse reactions little by little day after day. I squeezed a black one today and it was soft with tiny tomato-like seeds in it. The berries I have turned from green to red to black. Birds eat them. They are prolific in threes and fours hanging together. They are pretty. God bless you Maranatha
Kia ora from NZ 🇳🇿 We call this wild green Poroporo - the most important thing is to make sure your Poroporo leaves are clean not dirty. We don't prep Poroporo as a jam or mix it with lemon or sugar NO Poroporo is not a jam source food/kai. The leave(s) are the main nutrition healing. There are qualities to this humble green... food/kai. Many generations have grown up eating Poroporo I'm 61 now... its like cabbage to us. Mauri ora
Hello to the young Lady presenting the video on the Edible Black night shade plant and delicious berries when close to ripe . In spite of some people going paranoid and getting hysterical on the subject of the plant and berries ,I recall going out into my family's garden which was about an acre and a quarter ,back in the late 50s and 60s and eating handfuls of these berries after they are at least a dark dark olive , greenish black in color and OMG they were an incredible taste delight . I guess they weren't that poisonous , because I started eating them as soon as I could walk out into the garden about two years old maybe , Ha Ha now I am 6'1" and 65 years old maybe they were a growth hormone ! The ripe berries make an excellent pancake syrup or jam ,they are also a delectable addition to pear, apple,peach ,or Saskatoon berry jam . On Sunday morning / pancake days in late summer I recall mother going out to the garden in the assumption of picking a few cups of what we called Sloan Berries coming back with nothing , she would look at me and say ,why didn't you leave some for pancake Syrup . I would reply with huh what maybe the birds ? She would quickly reply with , yeah right pretty BIG Birds to leave that size of foot prints. Thanks for researching and posting the video/ article .
Well, this video I found just a little bit too late, already pulled the huge plant from my garden. I guess because it was growing in great soil with my peppers, it was near 5 or 6 feet tall, yet based on the other descriptions, it might have been the edible one. The correct size, flower , green then black, and the (I forgot what you called it) part that attaches to the berry was small.
Wow, five or six feet?? That's huge!! I have never seen one that big, even when growing in nice garden soil. Maybe it's a local variety that gets that large? Here is more ID info about the ones that grow near me: www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/black-nightshade
I really appreciate that you made this video. I have black nightshade growing wild in the forest I live in. Ironically, when I tried to grow it 20 years ago, I could not get it to take, but here it grows like a weed lol. It's very cool to see the little berries grow. Picking the berries, when some squish, they actually smell like salsa to me! I was able to pick a pint of them, and hopefully this year I'll be able to pick a couple more pints and make some jam. I hate that the narrative is to always associate "toxic" with "deadly," because that is far from the actual case. So many "toxic" things are actually extremely beneficial health-wise as long as we don't take too much. And even things like water and oxygen - two things which we humans need lest we die - are extremely toxic on a deadly scale if we have too much or two little. Everything in moderation is fine, and even Belladonna aka Deadly Nightshade is perfectly fine for pain and muscle relaxation as long you take it only in small quantities. Most hospitals even use belladonna for pain/muscle relaxation, and it's sold OTC counter in holistic/herbal remedy sections in health food stores. The plant itself is so pretty. The berries are so pretty when they're black and shiny, and the flowers when there are ripe berries also on the plant make it so lovely to look at.
Thank you for your detailed discussion on this. We have a volunteer pop-up along with our ground cherries. Was wondering if I needed to cull it or not. Now we'll let it do its thing :)
Thank you very much for this video!! I had a big bush of these pop up alongside my zinnias and I was wondering what they were. I just tried a couple and they aren't bad. They really do taste like a sweet tomato! I was planning on pulling the plant but now I'm going to let it stay.
Just found this plant in my yard next to one of my grape vines. Glad you were able to dispel a lot of the "fear" around the plant...especially the berry. So my question is; has anyone ever used the ripe berry to make a mead, wine, or liqueur?
Highly informative video. I knew the leaves were edible when cooked. Ripe berries being edible is new info to me. Thank you so much for this educational video. May God bless for sharing your God given knowledge.
Pretty informative. Subscribed! These are growing in my yard, zone 9a. It's early-mis spring, and I've already got black berries. So I'll probably try some, be back to report on flavor, and let most go to birds/reseeding.
Thanks for the info. I have these in my garden and everything I read on it keeps saying not to eat it because its poisonous. But this cideo sure cleared a lot of misunderstanding
Thank you for your excellent comparison between the black nightshade berries and the belladona kind. I was so afraid of getting near these plants that started growing all of a sudden in my back yard.
Oh, oh, oh!! I wish I’d seen this a week ago! For some reason I’ve had black nightshade coming up everywhere this year. I left most of it to come up because I like wild flowers of any kind coming into the garden. But about a week ago I decided it had got a bit ridiculous and I pulled loads of it up. If only I’d known I’d have let it have its head and enjoyed the results. I’ve still got quite a few plants so I’ll see what I can forage while still leaving some for the birds THANK YOU
One of these popped up in my little garden plot this year and I left it thinking it was just an odd tomato plant. I felt proud to be able t identify it as a nightshade and now I'm quite happy to know it's edible. I don't imagine I'll be intentionally growing them in the future but seeing as they're pest magnets they might actually make good sacrificial plants to give insects something to much on besides my more desirable plants.
Very informative. I've been curious since seeing it in our garden before. It came back again this year. Not sure if I'll use it but I think they're pretty to look at.
I snacked on these berries all the time when I was a kid in Taiwan living in the country side. I was surprised to find them growing in my yard now at Dallas TX.
i love this plant (S. nigrum) ! in Indonesia especially West Java, its a common plant to eat the green fruit fresh or cooked/boiled/deep-fried as a side dish. When i googled this plant in my language, it shown all of the benefit for eating this but when googled in english, it said that this fruit is dangerous and toxic. Im so confused right now hahaha! most people in my country still eat this kind of plant (S. nigrum) and you can almost buy it everywhere
It is sad how the government and "health care" establishment has brainwashed Americans into becoming consumers of processed food with preservatives and dyes that actually cause us to develop different diseases, profiting off our illnesses; while in turn they spread lies and disinformation about natural food and medicinal plants, just to bombard us with synthetic man-made pharmaceutical crap that gives you five different side effects.
Just ate some after i definitely identified it in my garden. I've been watching it all summer. I do like the taste. It's like mini black tomatoes but sweeter or like blueberries 🎉😊
Thanks for this video! I had a mystery volunteer plant in my back yard here in the San Diego area. My iphone identified it and looked for a video. Thanks!
Thank you! I actually tasted them before researching. They had a sweet flavor, I thought they must be ok. My little grandsons wanted some, so I said let’s find out what they are first. Plant ID app.... “highly poisonous “ 😮whoops. Then I found your channel😅 Thanks so much!! I plan on reading the article you linked. Your info was very helpful thanks a bunch
I was panicking thinking my cockerel Max was going to die, luckily it’s just black nightshade instead of deadly. Thank you for this informative video. I was freaking out!
I have a few of these on my property but one found its way into so old rich soil in a giant stone pot that was here when we moved in.. I had been taking the rich soil as needed until something sprouted when I had taken 1/3 or more of the soil.. and in that soil it's massive compared to the ones occurring in ground soil .... It's absolutely loaded with berries.. I was thinking of making jam
I’d be curious to know what the health benefits of black nightshade berries would be. I so appreciate this article because I just ate one ripe berry about an hour ago and there are so many articles that say they’re deadly poisonous. It looks like I get to live another day. .😊
Thanks for the video, had a black nightshade pop up in my flower garden out of nowhere... Now I will let it live, it's not a bad looking plant either 😀
I have eaten them for many years and enjoy them. I have never collected enough to make a salsa, but I have added them whole to tacos and found them really good used that way.
This is cool. Thanks for the info! This plant 🌱 just randomly started to grow in my garden. And I like to research before I rip it out. Following friend!! I just got a wild foraging in Michigan book and a botany book. I’m loving this.
I eat the leaves of this every summer. I steam it add tomatoes like salad or added to my chicken dish or to my mungbean soup..yum of vitamins. Just eat yesterday and pick more from my friend farm today.
I posted a pick of black night on my FB page and the response was primarily negative even after posting articles lol. I definitely have these black night shade growing in my yard and would love to keep them going.
Grest video! I was under thr impression the potatoes i planted recently grew extremely quickly, until my guest pointed out they were weeds. After using a plant identifying app, I discovered they were blacknight shade, and assuming they were poisonous, I pulled them out. Then I used google and discovered they were edible, so I took them out of the rubbish and I'm planning to plant them back 😂😂😂
I found these growing among my pepper plants. I picked a jar of them but I think I should go through it and kick any with any amount of green in them. I thought the berries were cute so that's why I let them grow. Would love to save the seeds to grow as ornamentals on my porch.
I have 2 types in my backyard. Those that l bought from the agrochem have black berries while indigenous ones that l ate since childhood have sprouted on their own and have orange colour.
Thank you for the information, I just found some blackberries in a pot and when I looked it up it said it was poisonous so I pulled them out and throw him away because I didn’t know information you gave.
hie, I'm in Australia , and they do have them here as well,,, because I use to be in natural foods hunter or bush tucker as some calls it here , , I came across these plants with berries ,I always do my research first before I eat anything new , and was told that I should wait until the berries are black ,,green or red are still considered as poisonous , and I was told that in the old days they use to make jams out of these in the countries , so i figured , if it was safe for them then , then they should be safe today , in any case I was told to make sure that I know what I'm picking because I use to go bush tucker plants hunting ,, anyway ,, thanks for that ,,
Bittersweet nightshade is misunderstood in the way black nightshade is. Years ago I found a research paper indicating there were no documented reports of death or even significant illness from eating red, ripe berries, only from immature, green ones. I've eaten them multiple times without instance. The thing is I'm not sure why anyone would want to eat them other than curiosity because to me they taste like skunked tomatoes. When you think about it the name 'bittersweet' is a description of their flavor from people who lived to tell the tale.
I mean, I wouldn't call bittersweet nightshade nontoxic. It's true that many "toxic" berries are more unpalatable than dangerous, and it's further true that the unripe bittersweet nightshade berries are more poisonous than the ripened ones. However, people do experience gastric upset upon eating them, especially children, and there has been at least one documented case of the death of a child (see here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3555592/). Fully ripe black nightshade berries, on the other hand, are truly nontoxic.
@@fourseasonforaging Right, one death from unripe berries. Analogous to not eating green potatoes. Unfortunately it looks like the frosts are going to come before my black nightshades ripen this year. Hope you got to nibble a few.
Hiii i know this is older but i just found some in my backyard and was scared of it i knew it was nightshade immediately. I had to remove it because my dogs eat anything 🤦🏼♀️ I’m so glad i found it.
My mom used to use edible black night shade greens for congee but stopped when I told her the existence of the poisonous lookalike. I miss eating the edible kind :(
@@fourseasonforaging I ate one from my garden, and in general, my rule is if it tastes good it's safe. I knew it was a variety of nightshade, and decided to verify before eating more. That's how I found your video. I'm a subscriber now. 😎
Hey thank you so much for this, My grandmother always had these bushes, she called them sullenberries. I have picked some when they are green because there was fear of frost and they do ripen much like a green tomato. Would they still have that toxin in them once they are ripe and if they have been picked green and ripened indoors?
I believe that as long as they're completely ripe they are fine to eat (ie dark purple all the way around.) As far as I know, there's no difference between ripening on the plant vs indoors. However, I can't find any data to confirm this, so you might want to eat a small amount at first to see how your body reacts. This article from Kansas State University talks a bit more about the chemistry of ripening tomatoes: www.johnson.k-state.edu/lawn-garden/agent-articles/vegetables/harvest-ripen-tomatoes.html. It sounds like once they turn half green and half pinkish, there is no more transfer between the plant and the fruit. Black nightshade is related to tomatoes, so perhaps it behaves similarly.
Growing up in the 1960's and 70's, on the edge of a very small town, surrounded by cow pastures, and forest, most of the old timers were petrified of us eating any small berry that wasn't a blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, or wild strawberry. But a few old timers knew where the sassafras trees grew, where "Indian tobacco" grew, and they grew current bushes in their yards, and harvested the dandelions - roots and all. I LOVED walking around with a strand of fresh hay, or alfalfa between my teeth, and "experiment" by nibbling small amounts of various eaves, seeds, or berries. I don't know what made us dig up the roots of a small herbaceous plant we found in the undergrowth of the woods, but the town's public library helped us identify it as American ginseng. We thought we "struck it rich," until we could find nobody that would buy it from us.
I know that every once in a while, for shock value, I'd eat 1 or two berries of bittersweet nightshade, and, because I wasn't sure, only 2 or 3 of the deep purple berries of black nightshade (one of those old timers told me that some types of nightshade could be eaten when fully ripe, and no longe showed any geen, but never clarified the comment once he realized that he was probably going to get blamed if I ended up sick or dead). Alas, I know that I've seen black nightshade in the backyard, but on the slight chance that my young grandkids are like me, I can't admit that I have, or will eat any small backyard berries. Besides, my wife made it very clear when the kids were little, that, except for blackberries and raspberries, if I ever let them partake in eating a wild berries or mushrooms, they WOULD be the cause of my demise.
That reminds me of an old man who was widowed 4 times. I asked him what his 1st wife died from, and he said "wild mushroom poisoning." I asked him what his 2nd and 3rd died from, and the answer was the same for each: "wild mushroom poisoning." I told him that was most unfortunate, and I hoped that he learned to help them identify the edible from poisonous mushrooms, then asked, "so if you don't mind me asking, what did your 4th wife die of?" He said "shotgun wound." I said "Oh man, you've had the worst luck with wives, but I have to ask, how did she get shot?" He said "she wouldn't eat the damn mushrooms!"
Kek...
😂😂😂😂😂
😂 oh that was a great read...she wouldn't eat the mushrooms 🤣
Haha that joke at the end was great.
Thanks for the identification comparisons between other nightshades. I have eaten them since a little girl after my grandfather taught me how to safely eat them. I learnt in recent years that they are actually excellent for treatment conditions like Dengue Fever, having used it that way for myself i took onky 4 or 5 berries and the symtoms of Dengue fever were gone within 2 hours. I learnt this from a medicine man in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Thanks again
Very interesting - thanks for the info! :)
calling BS on that.
Thank you I found this in my backyard. I'm in Victoria Australia
I have eaten these all my life. My mom treated mouth ulcers for the family. Very good
Thanks! I have these in my backyard and my old neighbor years ago told me they were poisonous. Very surprising that they are actually not. I don't plan on foraging them but I feel a lot better about them growing in my yard.
Good to hear! :)
The Berries are poisonous, but only if eaten green. But then green tomatos are also poisonous, too.
@@JoseMolina-ij3xx If green tomatos are poisonous then what about fried green tomatoes? Does the cooking cancel the poison compounds? They sure are delicious and I've never known a family member to be negatively affected by eating some.
@@TheWBWoman 😀
It's extremely nutritious. That's a staple in my life town. We call it Njama njama and eat it every single day. Harvest, wash well and chop some onions,1 or 2 tomatoes, cook like you would spinach. It's very delicious.
I have used them as a replacement for tomato in a nightshade, basil, mozzarella, vinegar and oil salad ... man oh man was it tasty ! 👍
Never thought of using them as a sweet berry but I will try it out ! Thank you !
Oooh putting them in a caprese-type salad sounds really tasty! I bet they're good with balsamic vinegar.
The valley girl halting accent...
Hmm very interesting. Any advice about making a sauce?
That sounds so good! They smell like salsa to me when i pick them. I'm hoping to make a sweet jam out of them, and maybe a tart relish, with the ones i pick this year.
Super informative, thank you! So many people hear the word black nightshade and immediately think it's poisonous. The link to that pdf was fabulous, really provided a lot of sources that dispels the myth.
I'm going to let them grow now and enjoy :)
It's true - a lot of people have been taught to fear them! Glad to hear you're going to let them grow. :)
Ah- we’ve always been so confused about this plant (because of the mixed messages we got) my family always ate this in a soup growing up- we were then told it was poisonous- which was very confusing! Turns out others were just misinformed!
Yes, lots of contradictory information about this plant! Glad I was able to clear that up for you.
Agreed I just googled it 1 answer said yes and the next answer said no
I have 4 bushes growing in my garden about 6ft tall. I’m in South Florida and even with the drought we’re having right now they are striving with no issues. Great video ✅👩🌾
We had a massive heat wave where I live in northern Cali, and they grow like weeds out here (I live in a forest). The stalks grew during summer, but it wasn't until Autumn when the weather cooled that they all bloomed and the berries grew and ripened. I'm really surprised how hardy they are.
Thanks bunches! We just discovered it in our yard just outside our gate to keep our goats safely inside our paddock . I asked Siri if American Black Nightshade was poisonous to humans or livestock and she directed me to your article with this TH-cam video. I have only been on my foraging journey two years, so now that I found your channel I have subscribed and asked for all notifications. Please continue your informative channel; you are needed and greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your kind words! 🙏🏻
I had one today for the first time (just 1 berry). It tasted like a blueberry tomato! Loved it!
I love that flavor description!
I thought the same thing! I tried it because I knew even if it was poisonous, I’d be fine even with just one, and I’m glad to find out I can keep eating them.
@@housespock7880Worst case scenario, you get the shrooms effect. Lol
Thank you, great info . I did a Google photo search as I have some in my garden. I thought it was the deadly nightshade until I saw your video. Now I know the difference. Thank you x😊
Glad it was helpful!
This is SO informative! I had it pop up at my apartment and I'm thrilled to try it!
Thank you! I brought one home this year and as you said it is huge. Even among avid Forager’s and herbalists here in the Pacific Northwest everyone is scared to death of anything nightshade. I myself even would experiment with just chewing a little bit and then spitting it out because of all the terrible things I had heard. I’m excited this year to make a jam from us hundreds of berries.Thank you for helping to spread the truth about this amazing plant
It's wonderful herb. Great source of iron.
Wow. Thank you for your video. I just found these growing and didnt know what they were. Google made them out to be poisonous. You really cleared that up for me and ecplained the differences. Thank you.
Thank you. I live in the metro and the arguments about this drive me nuts! I've got Bittersweet and Black in my yard, so I was able to make a video. And then used your video to solidify that white flower and black berry isn't poison.
We have these ALL OVER our farm, especially in the pasture. Guess I can stop pulling it now!
Yeah, as long as the animals don't mind it! Not sure if it's toxic for any livestock or not.
Awesome video! I’m down in Texas, and these popped up in my garden a couple of years ago. I heard birds like them, so I let them grow, and it turned out that the bugs like it even more! I’m using it as a trap crop to keep the many species of grasshopper busy😅.
I am a home sewist, and I love to dye fabrics with natural dyes, especially from native plants.This year I’ve decided to harvest all the berries I can, and dye a few flour sack towels with them. I think the color will look really nice with my Malabar Spinach Berry Pink dye, and the Texas Dandelion Yellow-peach dye that I make in early summer. Workin’ on a foraged dye rainbow, I guess!🌈❤️
Thank you for this video! My husband and I were given a plant by a friend, they had bought a couple huckleberry plants when they went on vacation last year and they gave us one. For an entire year we thought it was a huckleberry until yesterday I did some investigating and realized that our plant didn't match any type of huckleberry. Come to find out, it's actually a Black Nightshade! I was extremely nervous when I figured it out, but thank you for clearing up that it's not deadly like it's look-alike.
Thank you so much for the video with explanation . We are based from Southern part of India and black night shade leaf and flower has always been a part of staple food for our family. We are in UK now and I was reading a book to my son about plants and it's mentioned as the night shade berries are poisonous and just 4 of it is enough to get a person killed . I didn't know what to tell my son as he loves eating those berries from our terrace garden where we grow it . Ur video rightly explained and helped us to get clarity on this .. lovely and thorough explanation. ❤ thank you
In California they grow into like ten foot tall plants, even if they are growing out of a crack in the concrete on my porch. But it's the same plant and your video is more accurate than many other videos about it. I am pretty sure the 3 species names you mentioned are actually all the same plant and tiny differences in flower color and size got them named differently.
same in texas. even the sidewalk crack ones can get very tall
@@jypsyjewels2854 Haha! I had one grow out of the crack in the concrete in a covered porch. Despite nobody watering it and no light it grew into something the size of a shrub. There are many cultivated varieties of this plant that was eaten by humans before we were Homo sapiens and many wild versions, I would love some seeds of the one in Texas because it's probably a bit different than the ones in California but you should research the history of this plant.
I Love these little plants they are amazing. I live in Phoenix AZ and had a storm blow over a tree in back yard a few years ago and all these plants started popping up I thought they were weeds, but then I noticed the birds were going crazy for these plants and then noticed they were eating the berries. Lots of purple bird droppings everywhere and thought if they could eat them there must be something good about them. After researching I found out that I had the Black Nightshade growing everywhere were the dirt was exposed I didn't even water them just thriving on their own. I've since had landscape done and now they are popping up in random places in the rocks. I've tried transplanting the nicer ones to see how they do in garden soil which they seem pretty happy to be in also, it's fall now and not so hot but now have more flowers showing so it will be interesting to see if they grow berries when it's cooler. The berries to me taste like a cross between Tomatillos, blue berries and cherry tomatoes. I haven't' had the nerve to eat the leaves yet...lol I love your idea of putting them on yogurt.
I like your description of the berries! It's always hard for me to describe tastes
tender ends are best if you're into bitter greens. they taste better when boil. many Asians drink the stock like water. I prefer that to green tea honestly. it has a better taste, for a better lack of words.
One of these popped up in the middle of my garden this summer. Planted by birds obviously. The berries are delicious!
Kudos for making such a compensative and responsible video!!!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for clarifying the difference between black and deadly nightshade. I have several varieties of nightshade, because I love them. I knew one was edible, but now I know which one I can eat!
Thanks for the video. I found the comparisons were most helpful. I have a green thumb for growing plants that I did not plant; so far not so much luck with things I actually planted. 😢 I’ll let the plant continue to grow and see if the berries turn back in color so I can try them.
Wow! I love that you are in Minnesota too!
Awesome video! I always pick the black nightshade berries when they just fall off the stalk into my hand and never before as a precaution.
I noticed wildlife doesn't touch them until they fall i swear!
Just got done having a caprese salad and added the berries instead of tomatoes, WOW WOW WOW!!! So delicous, unreal. I drizzled olive oil & balsamic vinegar. So so good. The balsamic really enhances the flavor of the berries.
Yum!! I can't wait for my local berries to ripen!
Thank you. I have these plants in the garden and am testing them for adverse reactions little by little day after day. I squeezed a black one today and it was soft with tiny tomato-like seeds in it. The berries I have turned from green to red to black. Birds eat them. They are prolific in threes and fours hanging together. They are pretty. God bless you Maranatha
Kia ora from NZ 🇳🇿
We call this wild green Poroporo - the most important thing is to make sure your Poroporo leaves are clean not dirty.
We don't prep Poroporo as a jam or mix it with lemon or sugar NO Poroporo is not a jam source food/kai.
The leave(s) are the main nutrition healing.
There are qualities to this humble green... food/kai.
Many generations have grown up eating Poroporo I'm 61 now... its like cabbage to us.
Mauri ora
We call it leunca. It is very nice when eat it with warm rice and anchovy.
Hello to the young Lady presenting the video on the Edible Black night shade plant and delicious berries when close to ripe . In spite of some people going paranoid and getting hysterical on the subject of the plant and berries ,I recall going out into my family's garden which was about an acre and a quarter ,back in the late 50s and 60s and eating handfuls of these berries after they are at least a dark dark olive , greenish black in color and OMG they were an incredible taste delight . I guess they weren't that poisonous , because I started eating them as soon as I could walk out into the garden about two years old maybe , Ha Ha now I am 6'1" and 65 years old maybe they were a growth hormone ! The ripe berries make an excellent pancake syrup or jam ,they are also a delectable addition to pear, apple,peach ,or Saskatoon berry jam . On Sunday morning / pancake days in late summer I recall mother going out to the garden in the assumption of picking a few cups of what we called Sloan Berries coming back with nothing , she would look at me and say ,why didn't you leave some for pancake Syrup . I would reply with huh what maybe the birds ? She would quickly reply with , yeah right pretty BIG Birds to leave that size of foot prints. Thanks for researching and posting the video/ article .
Well, this video I found just a little bit too late, already pulled the huge plant from my garden. I guess because it was growing in great soil with my peppers, it was near 5 or 6 feet tall, yet based on the other descriptions, it might have been the edible one. The correct size, flower , green then black, and the (I forgot what you called it) part that attaches to the berry was small.
Wow, five or six feet?? That's huge!! I have never seen one that big, even when growing in nice garden soil. Maybe it's a local variety that gets that large? Here is more ID info about the ones that grow near me: www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/black-nightshade
Kickass video,
knowledge is power so thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it! :)
Thanks for the info, neighbor. i have this growing in my backyard in Bloomington.
Very cool!
I really appreciate that you made this video. I have black nightshade growing wild in the forest I live in. Ironically, when I tried to grow it 20 years ago, I could not get it to take, but here it grows like a weed lol. It's very cool to see the little berries grow. Picking the berries, when some squish, they actually smell like salsa to me! I was able to pick a pint of them, and hopefully this year I'll be able to pick a couple more pints and make some jam.
I hate that the narrative is to always associate "toxic" with "deadly," because that is far from the actual case. So many "toxic" things are actually extremely beneficial health-wise as long as we don't take too much. And even things like water and oxygen - two things which we humans need lest we die - are extremely toxic on a deadly scale if we have too much or two little. Everything in moderation is fine, and even Belladonna aka Deadly Nightshade is perfectly fine for pain and muscle relaxation as long you take it only in small quantities. Most hospitals even use belladonna for pain/muscle relaxation, and it's sold OTC counter in holistic/herbal remedy sections in health food stores.
The plant itself is so pretty. The berries are so pretty when they're black and shiny, and the flowers when there are ripe berries also on the plant make it so lovely to look at.
Thank you for your detailed discussion on this. We have a volunteer pop-up along with our ground cherries. Was wondering if I needed to cull it or not. Now we'll let it do its thing :)
Hurray! 😄
It's extremely growing in Sri Lanka. We eat fresh leaves and ripped Berry ❤.
Thank you very much for this video!! I had a big bush of these pop up alongside my zinnias and I was wondering what they were. I just tried a couple and they aren't bad. They really do taste like a sweet tomato! I was planning on pulling the plant but now I'm going to let it stay.
Just found this plant in my yard next to one of my grape vines. Glad you were able to dispel a lot of the "fear" around the plant...especially the berry. So my question is; has anyone ever used the ripe berry to make a mead, wine, or liqueur?
Not that I know of, but probably somewhere!
Highly informative video. I knew the leaves were edible when cooked. Ripe berries being edible is new info to me. Thank you so much for this educational video. May God bless for sharing your God given knowledge.
Pretty informative. Subscribed! These are growing in my yard, zone 9a. It's early-mis spring, and I've already got black berries. So I'll probably try some, be back to report on flavor, and let most go to birds/reseeding.
We call that 'managu' in Kikuyu. We mix with amaranth leaves,spinach and any othered preferred greens to use as 'ugali 'stew. So delicious.
Thanks for the info. I have these in my garden and everything I read on it keeps saying not to eat it because its poisonous. But this cideo sure cleared a lot of misunderstanding
Yay, happy to hear the video was helpful!
Thank you for your excellent comparison between the black nightshade berries and the belladona kind. I was so afraid of getting near these plants that started growing all of a sudden in my back yard.
Yes, they tend to grow prolifically! Glad to hear that the video helped. :)
Oh, oh, oh!! I wish I’d seen this a week ago! For some reason I’ve had black nightshade coming up everywhere this year. I left most of it to come up because I like wild flowers of any kind coming into the garden. But about a week ago I decided it had got a bit ridiculous and I pulled loads of it up. If only I’d known I’d have let it have its head and enjoyed the results.
I’ve still got quite a few plants so I’ll see what I can forage while still leaving some for the birds
THANK YOU
One of these popped up in my little garden plot this year and I left it thinking it was just an odd tomato plant. I felt proud to be able t identify it as a nightshade and now I'm quite happy to know it's edible. I don't imagine I'll be intentionally growing them in the future but seeing as they're pest magnets they might actually make good sacrificial plants to give insects something to much on besides my more desirable plants.
Ooh, it would probably be really good in a sweet salsa like a mango salsa or in a salad.
Very informative. I've been curious since seeing it in our garden before. It came back again this year. Not sure if I'll use it but I think they're pretty to look at.
In India leaves are cooked and eaten. How ever I was not sure if the one I have in yard was same . This video was so helpful in deciding . Thanks
You're welcome, glad it was helpful! :)
I snacked on these berries all the time when I was a kid in Taiwan living in the country side. I was surprised to find them growing in my yard now at Dallas TX.
I have a big one in my yard. Gonna pop it in my salad!🏵️
I love it in a salad!
Damn Gurl..This was Perfect. NOW I know The Berries I ve been eating won't kill me😂
Thank you so much for your clear explanation. I enjoy my nightshade berry on my backyard. 👍🙏
Wonderful!
i love this plant (S. nigrum) ! in Indonesia especially West Java, its a common plant to eat the green fruit fresh or cooked/boiled/deep-fried as a side dish. When i googled this plant in my language, it shown all of the benefit for eating this but when googled in english, it said that this fruit is dangerous and toxic. Im so confused right now hahaha!
most people in my country still eat this kind of plant (S. nigrum) and you can almost buy it everywhere
It is sad how the government and "health care" establishment has brainwashed Americans into becoming consumers of processed food with preservatives and dyes that actually cause us to develop different diseases, profiting off our illnesses; while in turn they spread lies and disinformation about natural food and medicinal plants, just to bombard us with synthetic man-made pharmaceutical crap that gives you five different side effects.
Just ate some after i definitely identified it in my garden. I've been watching it all summer. I do like the taste. It's like mini black tomatoes but sweeter or like blueberries 🎉😊
Yes, I love the flavor - so unique!
Thanks for this video! I had a mystery volunteer plant in my back yard here in the San Diego area. My iphone identified it and looked for a video. Thanks!
Yay, glad I could help!
Thank you! I actually tasted them before researching. They had a sweet flavor, I thought they must be ok. My little grandsons wanted some, so I said let’s find out what they are first.
Plant ID app.... “highly poisonous “ 😮whoops.
Then I found your channel😅
Thanks so much!! I plan on reading the article you linked. Your info was very helpful thanks a bunch
You are so welcome!
Thank you so much for this detailed info! I think I have some in my garden!
I was panicking thinking my cockerel Max was going to die, luckily it’s just black nightshade instead of deadly. Thank you for this informative video. I was freaking out!
Oh no little buddy! Glad he ate something nontoxic!
I have been eating this vegetable from my childhood. But never have eaten the berry good to know more about the berry.thanks for the good info
I have a few of these on my property but one found its way into so old rich soil in a giant stone pot that was here when we moved in.. I had been taking the rich soil as needed until something sprouted when I had taken 1/3 or more of the soil.. and in that soil it's massive compared to the ones occurring in ground soil .... It's absolutely loaded with berries.. I was thinking of making jam
Yum, I haven't tried jam with them, but it sounds delicious!
I’d be curious to know what the health benefits of black nightshade berries would be.
I so appreciate this article because I just ate one ripe berry about an hour ago and there are so many articles that say they’re deadly poisonous. It looks like I get to live another day. .😊
Thanks for the video, had a black nightshade pop up in my flower garden out of nowhere... Now I will let it live, it's not a bad looking plant either 😀
I usually let these grow in my garden, as the pests like to attack them before they attack my vegetables..
I love that! I do notice that their leaves are often riddled with bug holes
I have eaten them for many years and enjoy them. I have never collected enough to make a salsa, but I have added them whole to tacos and found them really good used that way.
Thanks for sharing! I'll have to give that a try :)
Thank you so much this was very informative! Birds keep bringing all kinds of goodies to the backyard 😂
Thank you birds! :D
I ate both the leaves and black ripe berries, they are good to eat! Thanks!
Cool, thanks for the feedback!
Thanks for the info.. now I know what I had growing was the bittersweet nightshade on the side of my house
Very interesting and informative, I must try and find some for my two hectare wild garden
Thanks! I have this growing in my garden!
Wonderful!
This is cool. Thanks for the info! This plant 🌱 just randomly started to grow in my garden. And I like to research before I rip it out. Following friend!! I just got a wild foraging in Michigan book and a botany book. I’m loving this.
I eat the leaves of this every summer. I steam it add tomatoes like salad or added to my chicken dish or to my mungbean soup..yum of vitamins. Just eat yesterday and pick more from my friend farm today.
Thank you, these are growing in my backyard in Sanford, FL
I posted a pick of black night on my FB page and the response was primarily negative even after posting articles lol. I definitely have these black night shade growing in my yard and would love to keep them going.
I have a feeling this is what 'they' used to give us purple cherokee and other black/purple/dark tomato varieties.
Grest video! I was under thr impression the potatoes i planted recently grew extremely quickly, until my guest pointed out they were weeds. After using a plant identifying app, I discovered they were blacknight shade, and assuming they were poisonous, I pulled them out. Then I used google and discovered they were edible, so I took them out of the rubbish and I'm planning to plant them back 😂😂😂
I found these growing among my pepper plants. I picked a jar of them but I think I should go through it and kick any with any amount of green in them. I thought the berries were cute so that's why I let them grow. Would love to save the seeds to grow as ornamentals on my porch.
Go for it!
I have 2 types in my backyard. Those that l bought from the agrochem have black berries while indigenous ones that l ate since childhood have sprouted on their own and have orange colour.
Thank you for the information, I just found some blackberries in a pot and when I looked it up it said it was poisonous so I pulled them out and throw him away because I didn’t know information you gave.
Glad I could help! :)
I found them today on my roof and I wanted to know about it I've heard solanum are poisonous but thanks for clearing my confusion
hie, I'm in Australia , and they do have them here as well,,, because I use to be in natural foods hunter or bush tucker as some calls it here , , I came across these plants with berries ,I always do my research first before I eat anything new , and was told that I should wait until the berries are black ,,green or red are still considered as poisonous , and I was told that in the old days they use to make jams out of these in the countries , so i figured , if it was safe for them then , then they should be safe today , in any case I was told to make sure that I know what I'm picking because I use to go bush tucker plants hunting ,, anyway ,, thanks for that ,,
I saw birds eating this and am thankful for this video! Mine do taste sweet!
That’s great, glad to hear it! :)
This year they came up all over my yard so I was interested to find out if they were ok. Thank you.
Wow.. the amount of times I pulled these thinking they were deadly 😅😅
Awesome info I have a Freind who has some growing in her garden
Thank you sweetheart!
Those plans are widely grow in my backyard. Hover, I was told that berries would be toxicity. So that I always remove them when I see them.
Yup, that’s a common misconception!
Beautifully done 😍
Bittersweet nightshade is misunderstood in the way black nightshade is. Years ago I found a research paper indicating there were no documented reports of death or even significant illness from eating red, ripe berries, only from immature, green ones. I've eaten them multiple times without instance. The thing is I'm not sure why anyone would want to eat them other than curiosity because to me they taste like skunked tomatoes. When you think about it the name 'bittersweet' is a description of their flavor from people who lived to tell the tale.
I mean, I wouldn't call bittersweet nightshade nontoxic. It's true that many "toxic" berries are more unpalatable than dangerous, and it's further true that the unripe bittersweet nightshade berries are more poisonous than the ripened ones. However, people do experience gastric upset upon eating them, especially children, and there has been at least one documented case of the death of a child (see here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3555592/). Fully ripe black nightshade berries, on the other hand, are truly nontoxic.
@@fourseasonforaging Right, one death from unripe berries. Analogous to not eating green potatoes. Unfortunately it looks like the frosts are going to come before my black nightshades ripen this year. Hope you got to nibble a few.
Hiii i know this is older but i just found some in my backyard and was scared of it i knew it was nightshade immediately. I had to remove it because my dogs eat anything 🤦🏼♀️ I’m so glad i found it.
My mom used to use edible black night shade greens for congee but stopped when I told her the existence of the poisonous lookalike. I miss eating the edible kind :(
Aw bummer. Show her this video so she can learn the difference! 🙂
These showed up in my yard,....I Love all berries but too afraid to try these since I didn't plant them
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank You.
Glad to hear it! ☺️
@@fourseasonforaging I ate one from my garden, and in general, my rule is if it tastes good it's safe. I knew it was a variety of nightshade, and decided to verify before eating more. That's how I found your video. I'm a subscriber now. 😎
I have a lot of this growing In my yard I’m so happy it’s edible
6 inches isn’t “super small” :(
To get rid of the bitterness, boil water and steam it. Rinse it and squeeze out the water.
Thank you so much spend hour confusing between them but explain it as well
Glad I could help! :)
The most common nightshade around here is bittersweet nightshade with the star shaped purple flowers, not edible as far as I know
I'm surprised they don't try to scare us away from eggplant.
Hey thank you so much for this, My grandmother always had these bushes, she called them sullenberries.
I have picked some when they are green because there was fear of frost and they do ripen much like a green tomato. Would they still have that toxin in them once they are ripe and if they have been picked green and ripened indoors?
I believe that as long as they're completely ripe they are fine to eat (ie dark purple all the way around.) As far as I know, there's no difference between ripening on the plant vs indoors. However, I can't find any data to confirm this, so you might want to eat a small amount at first to see how your body reacts.
This article from Kansas State University talks a bit more about the chemistry of ripening tomatoes: www.johnson.k-state.edu/lawn-garden/agent-articles/vegetables/harvest-ripen-tomatoes.html. It sounds like once they turn half green and half pinkish, there is no more transfer between the plant and the fruit. Black nightshade is related to tomatoes, so perhaps it behaves similarly.
for a second i thought you were talking about belladonna
Nope! That’s usually called deadly nightshade. Def don’t wanna eat that one! 😅
You can eat the leaves too make soup or fry