In this episode I make some delicious raspberry tea. I also talk about how to properly identify a berry plant and process it's leaves to make tea. There are many different species of berry plants, and so the guidelines I give will apply to most species.
The plant that I used was a Black Raspberry plant, which can easily be misidentified as a Blackberry or even a Red Raspberry plant. Although all 3 species of berry plants have many things in common, there are ways you can tell them apart. However, all 3 species of berries are edible and their leaves can be made into a tasty medicinal tea.
Here's a quick way to tell the 3 species apart:
Black Raspberry:
Leaves- White on the underside.
Berries- Have a hollow inside the fruit.
Thorns- Are medium sized (compared to the other 2 species), and
are sparsely distributed along the stocks.
Red Raspberry:
Leaves- White on the underside.
Berries- Have a hollow inside the fruit.
Thorns- Are small, hair-like, and cover the stocks.
Blackberry:
Leaves- Are NOT white on the underside.
Berries- Fruits do NOT have a hollow.
Thorns- Are twice the size of Black Raspberry thorns, and are
sparsely distributed along the stocks.
*Pregnant women should consult with their doctor first before drinking raspberry tea.
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