Sycamore Helicopter seeds... good food?

[jon r]

I have been wanting to ask this for a long time because it could potentially could be a good bit of grub considdering how many there are about. Although the seed inside the main helicopter is only about the size of a pea you could collect a lot in a short ammount of time... in the autumn the seeds hang grom the trees in bunches and it wouldnt take too long to pod them for a bit of a snack.

I have also noticed that the seed inside stays fresh and green even when it has been on the ground for a long time. Here you can see that the main helicopter is far from fresh but the seed insite is juicy and green.

Anyone know anything about eating them?

I found this website that explains about maple seeds but i dont know if the same applies to our common Sycamore trees... also i dont know weather to trust this scource of information. http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Maple-Seeds

Green pea sized seeds on right of photo

[Toddy]

I'm quite fond of them; they are a seasonal munchy
I think they taste a bit like peas, though different trees do have different tastes. One tree near here is quite tanniny and one is almost sweet.

I'm sure that several years ago someone posted an old recipe for pickling them I've looked a couple of times but not come across it again.

I agree that potentially they could be a lot of nourishment if we can digest them properly.

cheers,
Toddy

[fred gordon]

A friend of mine used to pickle them every year. If you want I can ask him for the recipe. Never tried it myself, but his tasted OK.

[lannyman8]

awsome a new food source i never thought of.....what a great idea thanks.....chris

[hedgerow pete]

yes please to the pickling recipe please fred that is a new one to me , i had never heard of that before what else is avalible like this to eat?

[g4ghb]

Wow! - we have a sycamore in our garden!!!

never realised you could eat the seeds and even better pickle them - do you need to process at all Mary or can you eat them raw?.....

I'd like to see the pickle recipe too please

[PREPER]

Wow! - we have a sycamore in our garden!!!

never realised you could eat the seeds and even better pickle them - do you need to process at all Mary or can you eat them raw?.....

I'd like to see the pickle recipe too please

Same here, I've got one in my garden as well!
Free food, always good!

PREPER.......

[locum76]

I'm up for giving this a go.

[demographic]

I'm quite fond of them; they are a seasonal munchy
I think they taste a bit like peas, though different trees do have different tastes. One tree near here is quite tanniny and one is almost sweet.

I'm sure that several years ago someone posted an old recipe for pickling them I've looked a couple of times but not come across it again.

I agree that potentially they could be a lot of nourishment if we can digest them properly.

cheers,
Toddy

I've heard of people pickling Ash keys before but never though of doing it with what use in the UK call Sycamore (the Americans call Plane, Sycamore if I remember right).

[Toddy]

Eh, I just eat them Hold the wing and bite out the 'pea'.
Never tried anything fancy with them. They're just something that crops up in season, like pollen rich alder cones......good for sooking, or hawthorn buds, nice for a wee bite of green stuff.
I do remember being told that Sycamore isn't native, it's an incomer like rabbits. Came in with the Romans or thereabouts and didn't take off, brought back in a millenia later and thrived.

Try a few different trees though, they're all different. Like acorns, or Rowans, some are fine as is, and others would dry paint :shudder:

Fred I would love to have a recipe

Wonder if Fergus the forager has done anything with them ?

cheers,
M

[demographic]

Eh, I just eat them Hold the wing and bite out the 'pea'.
Never tried anything fancy with them. They're just something that crops up in season, like pollen rich alder cones......good for sooking, or hawthorn buds, nice for a wee bite of green stuff.
I do remember being told that Sycamore isn't native, it's an incomer like rabbits. Came in with the Romans or thereabouts and didn't take off, brought back in a millenia later and thrived.

Try a few different trees though, they're all different. Like acorns, or Rowans, some are fine as is, and others would dry paint :shudder:

Fred I would love to have a recipe

Wonder if Fergus the forager has done anything with them ?

cheers,
M

I heard they are a late comer to this island also.

On another site I go on the Americans on there were complaining about how hard it is to split "sycamore" with an axe/maul and I honestly thought they were a bunch of big girls blouses till I realised they were talking about a totally different type of tree (what we call plane) cos any sycamore I have split with a maul has been pretty easy.

I have yet to have a bash splitting Plane so will only be able to comment on how hard it is to split after that point

[Melonfish]

i'll post the recipe for pickling ash keys tonight, should be the same for sycamore. wouldn't mind trying them straight off the tree tho.

Toddy am i right in saying you suck on Alder Cones? like the long furry catkins or the round green cones?

[EatWeeds]

My understanding is that it in Poland the fruit of the Sycamore was preserved in vinegar, while still young and tender.

The seed itself is edible, but often bitter. In some parts of Asia the seeds were boiled and then eaten.

[jon r]

i think its best to prepare them in some way to leech out any tannins otherwise regular consumption could be bad for you... This is why i was asking...

I asume you could grind them up and then stand them in water or pour over boiling water much like the preparation of acorns i expect but i still dont know... anyone know how to propperly prepare them?

[EatWeeds]

Jon, I have not tried preparing Sycamore seeds, but would assume your reasoning is correct and that you would be better off soaking them first. Personally I would try soaking them whole. But for speed then grinding would work, but you're then left with mush!

If I can, I always prefer to soak nuts and seeds before consuming them, simply because doing so removes enzyme inhibitors, phytates etc. in effect predigesting the food source and making them not only more digestible but allowing more nutrients to be taken up by the body.

I too would be interested if anyone has actually processed them before...

[jon r]

Thanks for your knowledge EatWeeds. There are still plenty of them about so it's still not too late to give this a go.

If you soaked them whole do you think it would just germinate them like when you sprout seeds? I am guessing that more tannins will be released if the cells are killed first. That could be done by grinding or pouring boiling water over them. I think that would work great

Would be interesting to see how the colour of the water changes... this would give an indication to the level of tannin within the seeds.

I have also heard of people sprouting seeds like acorns, the germination naturally reduces the tannin levels in some cases i think...

[Laurentius]

I have never thought to eat sycamore, I have one growing in a pot on my balcony, a sort of oversize bonsai.

[EatWeeds]

If you soaked them whole do you think it would just germinate them like when you sprout seeds? Would be interesting to see how the colour of the water changes... this would give an indication to the level of tannin within the seeds. I have also heard of people sprouting seeds like acorns, the germination naturally reduces the tannin levels in some cases i think...

Hi Jon--

That depends on how long it takes for them to start sprouting... I suspect not long at all. This is one of those times when you're going to have to experiment, otherwise we both get into too much speculation.

It might certainly be worth grinding them into flour, as you have suggested, then ferment that. I didn't think of this when I first replied, but it makes perfect sense. This could be similar to the way the Indian's make their Idlis. The following report talks about significant tannin reduction by fermenting, see: Influence of germination and fermentation on bioaccessibility of zinc and iron from food grains. I quote "A fermentation of cereal-legume combinations of idli and dosa batter significantly reduced both phytate and tannin".

For what it is worth sprouting legumes for 60 hours reduces their tannin content to undetectable levels, and the same happens with kidney beans. Maybe the same would happen with Sycamore seeds. Bare in mind that I would then cook the sprouts rather than eat them raw.

Regards soaking them in a similar way to acorns, again my logical minds says 'yes', but as ever neither of us are going to know the answer unless we try this stuff out. THAT is the real fun for me and exploring the forgotten uses of wild edible plants. Thanks for posting such an intelligent question, and damn you for adding more work for me to dig into

Robin

[R3XXY]

I didn't know you could eat acorns,I have a vague memory of biting into one when I was a kid and it tasting HORRIBLE. How long do you have to soak them for ?

[EatWeeds]

This is how I do it, although everyone has their own method...

1. Pour boiling water onto whole shelled acorns and allow to soak for a few hours, then strain off the water (this removes the tannins). Repeat throughout the day. I normally do 3 or 4 changes of water.

2. Do as above for 4-5 days. The coloured water will get clearer the more times you do it.

3. Then on the last day put acorns in a pan of water, bring up to boil, then simmer for 10-20 minutes. Take off heat and allow to cool. Then strain.

4. Either use immediately or freeze.

Robin