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fruit for pies
#4
quote:
The exception might be the local berries ... I am thinking opelu but I might be spelling it wrong.


Yep, you spelled it wrong. Opelu is a fish. I can't say that it doesn't make a good pie...

The berry that you're thinking of may be 'ohelo. There are several berry-bearing shrubs that carry the name 'ohelo, including three species that are in the heath family, Vaccinium genus. The one growing in the dry, volcanic area, I believe, is 'ohelo 'ai, Vaccinium reticulatum. It's the favorite of Nene, Hawaiian Goose, and in the Park, you are asked to not pick these berries. It's purportedly the sweetest berry. There are two wet forest/bog species, 'ohelo kau la'au, V. calycinum, and 'ohelo, V. dentatum. The berries from these are supposedly not as sweet as 'ohelo 'ai. These are all higher elevation plants.

There is an Hawaiian endemic subspecies of strawberry, 'ohelo papa, Fragraria chiloensis sandwicensis. It grows in disturbed areas (e.g., along a trail) from 3500' to 6000'. Do strawberries make good pies, anyway?

Lastly, there is 'ohelo kai, Lycium sandwicense, which is in the nightshade family. It grows in the dry coastal lowlands. Its fruit is described as "marginally edible" by one source. Doesn't sound like a good pie candidate.

One caution when looking for red berries at higher elevations, be aware of the 'Akia group, Wikstroemia sp., which have attractive berries but are considered poisonous. These are some of the few native Hawaiian plants that have active alkaloids, according to Kerin Lilleeng-Rosenberger's book. One species, W. uva-ursi, is also known as Fish-Poison Plant.

A couple of considerations, although I don't know how viable they are for pies, are jaboticaba and poha. Poha is an introduced species in the nightshade family (like tomatoes), is mildly invasive, and is popular in jam-making. Jaboticaba, or Brazilian Grape Tree, has fruit that grow out of the branches. The Volcano Winery uses the juice from this fruit in most (all?) of their wines. I'm not making any claims about the quality of the wines, mind you. Both of these grow at low elevations.

Edited by - Les C on 08/06/2007 23:06:00
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Messages In This Thread
fruit for pies - by jade - 08-06-2007, 07:17 AM
RE: fruit for pies - by emorata - 08-06-2007, 09:04 AM
RE: fruit for pies - by missydog1 - 08-06-2007, 05:44 PM
RE: fruit for pies - by Les C - 08-06-2007, 06:55 PM
RE: fruit for pies - by missydog1 - 08-07-2007, 05:36 AM
RE: fruit for pies - by lquade - 08-07-2007, 06:11 AM
RE: fruit for pies - by Les C - 08-07-2007, 09:09 AM
RE: fruit for pies - by Hotzcatz - 08-10-2007, 04:54 PM
RE: fruit for pies - by wyatt - 08-13-2007, 02:44 PM
RE: fruit for pies - by Kelena - 11-16-2007, 02:20 PM
RE: fruit for pies - by lquade - 11-17-2007, 02:15 AM
RE: fruit for pies - by mikewj - 11-17-2007, 02:55 AM
RE: fruit for pies - by mikewj - 11-17-2007, 02:58 AM
RE: fruit for pies - by oink - 11-17-2007, 11:55 AM
RE: fruit for pies - by JayJay - 11-17-2007, 07:57 PM
RE: fruit for pies - by jdirgo - 11-19-2007, 07:27 AM

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