Thanks David, I have enjoyed that walk in the Silver Peaks 
Be glad I wasn't with you! I had been creeping on my knees looking at all those plants - so very different from all things here - we had still not gotten down from the mountain 
I had certainly tasted the berries too 
-Do you pick the berries to make jam or juice?
-
Trond
While some of the various fruits and berries that I have shown may be edible there is not a cultural tradition in this country of using them; rather it is the opposite - most of these things are regarded as potentially dangerous and if a child sampled them it would be considered a medical emergency by many people. The Coprosma berries are generally too small, usually too sparse and too sporadic to be worthwhile picking and using. The fruit of Solanum laciniatum which is larger is reputed to have been used to make jam but once again it is regarded with suspicion by most people. The leaves and green fruit of this species are toxic. The fruits of two introduced species that have become widespread weeds are harvested Rubus fruticosus (blackberry) and Rosa rubiginosa (briar rose) and used so European New Zealanders have retained some of their northern hemisphere cultural traditions.
Anthony,
Now is not a good time to go walking in the Silver Peaks; there is snow down to 400 metres and furhter snow predicted (down to 200 metres) Things change very rapidly in two weeks,
