Looking at uncultivated wild fruit

[phatdave]

Looking at uncultivated wild fruit

'A fruit wants to be eaten so that its seed can be spread'

Example: Rosehip


The fruit is sweet, the seed is difficult to digest and
contains cyanide, the colour is bright.



Why are some poisonous fruits sweet?
What is the role of vitamin C in fruits?
Are wild fruits edible enough to be a significant ammounts in a humans diet?
Why do poisonous fruits and edible fruits look so simliar?

Do rosehips and other 'edible' uncultivated wild fruits actually want to be eaten?


Thank you

[phatdave]

http://ask.metafilter.com/131461/Dont-they-want-to-be-eaten

this is quite interesting

[William]

How about: Mother Nature is wise to the fact that there are plenty of fools to eat these plants, or,
they are designed to be eaten by birds, monkeys etc., or both.

The proof is that people eat wheat, suffer, and continue to eat it.

[TylerDurden]

I wouldn't consider rosehips to be either tasty or edible(they have all sorts of hairs in them, as I recall).

[phatdave]

which wild uncultivated fruits are exactly edible enough to be part of a paleolithic diet?

[cherimoya_kid]

which wild uncultivated fruits are exactly edible enough to be part of a paleolithic diet?

You've got to be joking.  Really?

Wild:

strawberries
blueberries
papaya
persimmons
blackberries
muscadines (muscat grapes)
paw paw
cherimoya
avocado


This list can go on, and on, and on.  I've eaten the wild versions of all of those quite a few times, except for paw paw and cherimoya. 

[phatdave]

Sorry if i was unclear, i meant those that are not cultivated to some extent in the world, like:

WILD ROSE / ROSEHIP
HAWTHORN
ROWAN / MOUNTAIN ASH
GUELDER ROSE
SEA BUCKTHORN
WHITEBEAM
HONEYSUCKLE

[cherimoya_kid]

Sorry if i was unclear, i meant those that are not cultivated to some extent in the world, like:

WILD ROSE / ROSEHIP
HAWTHORN
ROWAN / MOUNTAIN ASH
GUELDER ROSE
SEA BUCKTHORN
WHITEBEAM
HONEYSUCKLE

I must ask, are you serious?

Paw paw comes to mind immediately, but there are definitely others. I can do the research if you like, but I don't really understand the need.  There are plenty of tropical fruits that are not cultivated, but are eaten widely in the tropics.  Some fruit doesn't take to cultivation easily well.

[PaleoPhil]

Looking at uncultivated wild fruit

'A fruit wants to be eaten so that its seed can be spread'

Example: Rosehip


The fruit is sweet, the seed is difficult to digest and
contains cyanide, the colour is bright.


Why are some poisonous fruits sweet?

The sweet part is the fruit that the plant "wants" you to eat and then poop out the seed with some feces to cover and fertilize it. The poisonous part is the seed that the plant doesn't "want" you to eat (the toxin is basically a natural insecticide/biocide, also called an antinutrient), because that would prevent reproduction of the plant.

[jessica]

wheat is a grass and i the part you eat is the seed but it doesnt have a "fruit" element

rosehips are high in vitamin c, good for your gums, helps you absorb iron
the ones in the canyons here are not to fuzzy to enjoy, and sweeter after a frost, they cna be gathered and steeped into tea

there are all kinds of wild/native raspberries, cherries, apples, apricots, currants here, which can be a significant source of calories as each kind ripens at once and if one is intent on gathering and storing them could provide sustanance

i know last winter after successive snows and thaws i would eat apples that had fallen under a tree in the fall and had freeze dried themselves and were super delicious

[Hannibal]

The sweet part is the fruit that the plant "wants" you to eat and then poop out the seed with some feces to cover and fertilize it. The poisonous part is the seed that the plant doesn't "want" you to eat (the toxin is basically a natural insecticide/biocide, also called an antinutrient), because that would prevent reproduction of the plant.

But the seed is also healthy
Here is very good explanation given by Cthulhu -
http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/journals/my-merge-with-raw-paleo/msg18113/#msg18113
http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/journals/my-merge-with-raw-paleo/msg18134/#msg18134

[PaleoPhil]

Cthulhu and I disagree about whether amygdalin is beneficial or toxic as a regular food eaten in substantial quantities. I say toxic, but I hope I'm wrong because the more healthy foods that are available to human beings, the better.

Why are some poisonous fruits sweet?

Sorry Dave, I just noticed that I didn't see the word "poisonous" in your question. It's a good question that I don't know the answer to. Deadly nightshade has a sweet and poisonous berry and is native to African and Europe, so why is it sweet?

[jessica]

its probably sweet because, regardless of the egocentricism of our species, its probably not poisonous to its intended consumer, so it can pass on its seeds, or maybe its sweet from the nectar it needs to attract its pollenators, or like other night shades its sweet because for the seeds to become fertile they need to ferment when the fruit has fallen to the ground

[H.fructus]

Unless a new edible fruit has evolved in the last 10,000 years, why would it be against the Paleo diet guidelines to consume any wild fruit? By 10,000 years ago, ancestors/explorers radiated all over the globe, so anything seems game during the survival of the Paleolithic Era. People consumed each other raw too.

[PaleoPhil]

its probably sweet because, regardless of the egocentricism of our species, its probably not poisonous to its intended consumer, so it can pass on its seeds, or maybe its sweet from the nectar it needs to attract its pollenators, or like other night shades its sweet because for the seeds to become fertile they need to ferment when the fruit has fallen to the ground

You're right: "Rabbits, sheep, goats and swine eat the leaves with impunity, and birds often eat the seeds without any apparent effect...." http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/n/nighde05.html

So the plant doesn't care if it kills humans, since it's intended consumers are other animals. This causes me to question the Instincto policy of using taste alone to determine what to eat, although "It is said that an adult may eat two or three berries without injury..." and Instinctos claim that the berries will start to taste bad once toxic levels are approached. Still, it doesn't make sense to me to eat any of it, so it doesn't quite qualify as an "instinctive" plant, in my opinion. I can imagine an infant eating toxic amounts of it, since infants have lower tolerance.

The plant is not native to central or southern Africa, where most believe human beings originated (although it is native to North Africa and Europe). So perhaps that is related to why it is poisonous for humans.

Unless a new edible fruit has evolved in the last 10,000 years, why would it be against the Paleo diet guidelines to consume any wild fruit? By 10,000 years ago, ancestors/explorers radiated all over the globe, so anything seems game during the survival of the Paleolithic Era. People consumed each other raw too.

I don't recommend eating deadly nightshade berries. The name is a clue as to why.