HOME REMEDY: Bilberries
On Exmoor there are many plants that can be used as a home remedy of some sort. There is gorse, which has to be managed or it takes over entire areas, while at the other extreme is small, low-growing bilberry, or whortleberry.
Gathering bilberries was a flourishing cottage industry in Victorian times, with workers using special wooden combs to rake off the berries, which were then sent to towns to make puddings and jams. Sadly, this trade died out, so looking after the plants was no longer a priority. Consequently, finding bilberries now is not so easy.
These days, you have to scrabble around on hands and knees, only to be rewarded with a few handfuls of berries – and you should always make sure you know what you’re looking for. The small berries are like the much larger blueberry, the heralded ‘wonder berry’ that is full of antioxidants and vitamins. Now it is thought that the tiny bilberry may actually be richer in certain plant compounds than the blueberry, in particular anthocyanin, which is responsible for its dark colour. Keep your eye on forthcoming research.
Sof McVeigh: www.thehomemadecompany.com
Gathering bilberries was a flourishing cottage industry in Victorian times, with workers using special wooden combs to rake off the berries, which were then sent to towns to make puddings and jams. Sadly, this trade died out, so looking after the plants was no longer a priority. Consequently, finding bilberries now is not so easy.
These days, you have to scrabble around on hands and knees, only to be rewarded with a few handfuls of berries – and you should always make sure you know what you’re looking for. The small berries are like the much larger blueberry, the heralded ‘wonder berry’ that is full of antioxidants and vitamins. Now it is thought that the tiny bilberry may actually be richer in certain plant compounds than the blueberry, in particular anthocyanin, which is responsible for its dark colour. Keep your eye on forthcoming research.
Sof McVeigh: www.thehomemadecompany.com