anton wrote:

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Sacha
writes
Hay anyone actually tried eating the berries of these. We have it both
flowering and berrying in the garden at the moment and the smell is
deliciously like strawberries when you crush the berries.
I've found a site that says they're edible and can be used in jellies but
I'm very cautious....... ;-)

Usher 'Plants used by Man' pub Constable 1974 doesn't mention M ugni,
but says of M communis 'the fruits are sometimes used as a condiment and
to relieve stomach upsets' .... that sounds hopeful.

I've nibbled a few M communis for fun and they're rather sloe-like. The
myrtle gin that I made (same method as sloe gin) has a fantastic scent but
the taste is slightly, er medicinal.

In Sardinia (Italy), they make a really nice liqueur based on myrtle
berries and leaves. They use almost pure alcohol and sugar, rather than
gin.

The leaves are also used in cooking, expecially roast piglet / pork

The plant itself is wonderful in flower, leaf and scent and has only been
slightly browned at the tips occasionally by by the East Anglian winter in a
partly sheltered North facing corner.

--
Anton