Cookbook:Hawthorn
| Hawthorn | |
|---|---|
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| Category | Fruits |
Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients | Equipment | Techniques | Cookbook Disambiguation Pages | Ingredients | Fruit
Hawthorn is a plant in the rose family, the berries, young leaves, and buds of which are edible.
Characteristics
[edit | edit source]The hawberries develop in groups of 2–3 along smaller branches. They are small and oblong, similar in size and shape to a small crabapple,[1] ranging in color from yellow to red to black when ripe. Berries are delicate in taste and are soft and pulpy with seeds.[2] Note that the seeds contain cyanide compounds and are best avoided.[3]
Varieties
[edit | edit source]Various edible hawthorn species are distributed worldwide. Commercially-available hawthorn products in the USA and Europe are often derived from Crataegus monogyna or Crataegus laevigata.
| Species | Common names | Region | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crataegus azarolus | Azarole/azerole, Mediterranean medlar | Mediterranean Basin and the Arab world | Preserves |
| Crataegus pinnatifida | Mountain hawthorn, Chinese hawthorn/hawberry | Tanghulu, haw flakes, sansachun (산사춘), preserves | |
| Crataegus mexicana | Ejocote, manzanita, tejocotera, Mexican hawthorn | Mexico, Guatemala | Ponche, rielitos, pectin production |
| Crataegus monogyna | Common hawthorn | Europe, northwest Africa, West Asia | Preserves, syrups, salads |
| Crataegus aestivalis | Eastern mayhaw | Eastern USA | Preserves |
| Crataegus opaca | Western mayhaw | Southern/western USA | Preserves |
| Crataegus mollis | Downy hawthorn, red hawthorn | USA, Canada | |
| Crataegus laevigata | Midland hawthorn, English hawthorn, woodland hawthorn | Europe | Tea, preserves |
Seasonality
[edit | edit source]The berries typically ripen in the late summer to early fall,[4] depending on variety and environment.
Selection and storage
[edit | edit source]Remove the stems and leaves of the berries before use, and discard those that are bug-eaten or otherwise blemished.[4]
Use
[edit | edit source]The hawberry is commonly made into jellies, jams, and syrups rather than eaten plain.[2][3] Conveniently, their pectin content means that no additional pectin is necessary when making jam.[4] However, in China, they may be coated in a sweet syrup and eaten on sticks or made into fruit leather.[1] Dried berries may be brewed into a tisane and drunk as a beverage or fermented into alcoholic beverages.[1][3][4]
Recipes
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ a b c Kaitlin (2019-08-13). "Hawthorn Iced Tea: Just 3 Ingredients!". The Woks of Life. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ↑ a b Green, Amy (2023-10-13). "What can I do with Hawthorn Berries? - Tips and information". Original Outdoors. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ↑ a b c "Hawthorn: Foraging for culinary and medicinal use - BritishLocalFood". 2013-11-19. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ↑ a b c d "Harvesting & Using Hawthorn Berries in Desserts". www.butterwitchbakes.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.