Black Nightshade Berries Recipe

Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum) has got to be one of the most misunderstood weeds. It's cousin Deadly Nightshade (Atropa Belladonna) is very poisonous but extremely rare in New Zealand. Where as black nightshade is very common and has little white or purple tinged flowers and clusters of 5-6 berries, deadly nightshade has larger purple flowers and the berries are on a single stem and have flatter very shiny berries that sit in the calyx. Today we will be concentrating on the ripe berries but the leaves are also edible, highly nutritious and tasty. This wild jam recipe is a foragers delight

The other day I noticed a small but very laden self seeded plant in our wild lawn and have been waiting for this moment to make something delicious from the berries. I got a quarter cup of berries so it wasn't going to be a big something, so I decided on a quick simple jam recipe and I couldn't be more pleased with the result!

This jam has the most sensational flavour and colour, kind of like a mixture between a boysenberry and blueberry, so damn good. Here I've topped some freshly baked scones with butter, Greek yoghurt and topped with Black Nightshade Berry Jam.

Known as Raupeti in Te Reo, Garden Huckleberry (African black nightshade-Solanum americanum) in America, Makoy in Hindi, Rinagu in Kenya and Stifno in Greece this abundant 'weed' is both medicinal and nutritious. In Ayurveda it is said to balance the doshas and is used extensively for its therapeutic properties

The flowers of Black nightshade have 5 petals and are star shaped and the leaves are alternate, oval shaped with a pointed tip that get smaller as the plant gets larger. The flowers are in clusters of 5-6 that then turn into small pea sized green berries (which should not be eaten), then onto dark purple and are black when they are fully ripe. The ripe black berries are very rich in minerals, especially calcium, magnesium and phosphorus

Black Nightshade berries are mainly foraged and are consumed as a culinary ingredient on every inhabitable continent, especially in countries such as South Africa, India, China, the Philippines, Java, Nepal, Turkey, and Ethiopia. They are high in antioxidants and are used for respiratory and lung health. The berries often have green and black berries growing at the same time as well as flowers.

As with all wild edibles it is super important to be sure of identification plus everyone's bodies react differently to certain foods, so be cautious.

Black Nightshade Jam

~New Recipe~

Plant-based | Gluten free

Make 100ml

1/4 cup ripe black nightshade berries

1/4 cup water

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup sugar

Add the berries, water and lemon juice to a small pot and mash the berries up a bit. Put on a high heat and when it comes to the boil add the sugar, stir to dissolve. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened. Pot into a warm sterilised jar and cap. Once opened keep in the fridge if it's warm out and enjoy.