I recently bought a Black Elder (Sambucus niger) for friend who's
growing a bird- friendly garden. She also has two dogs, one a puppy.

She was concerned to read on the label that the plant is "harmful if
eaten". Since both elder flowers and elderberries are a food, what's
harmful? Is it the bark or sap, or something else? Or simply
over-cautious labelling.
--
Andy Mabbett

Say "NO!" to compulsory ID Cards: http://www.no2id.net/

In message , Andy Mabbett
writes

I recently bought a Black Elder (Sambucus niger) for friend who's
growing a bird- friendly garden. She also has two dogs, one a puppy.

She was concerned to read on the label that the plant is "harmful if
eaten". Since both elder flowers and elderberries are a food, what's
harmful? Is it the bark or sap, or something else? Or simply
over-cautious labelling.

There was a thread here on the topic recently. Elderberries contain
cyanogenic glucosides, from which cyanide is produced. Google for
sambunigrin.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Andy Mabbett wrote:

I recently bought a Black Elder (Sambucus niger) for friend who's
growing a bird- friendly garden. She also has two dogs, one a puppy.

She was concerned to read on the label that the plant is "harmful if
eaten". Since both elder flowers and elderberries are a food, what's
harmful? Is it the bark or sap, or something else? Or simply
over-cautious labelling.

(From memory of some research I did whilst wondering what to do with
the 20lbs of elderberries I picked last autumn.)

AFAIR, pretty much all parts of most varieties of Elder are toxic to
some degree. Sambucus niger has berries that are toxic when unripe,
and stems, leaves, bark etc. are also toxic. Some of the other
varieties of Elder have very unpleasant tasting fruit and one (Red
Elder, I think?) has poisonous fruit.

Anyhow, I've made some elderberry wine and some elderberry ice-cream
and it doesn't seem to have done me any ha

In message , Janet Baraclough
writes
Even dogs who like eating fruit and berries, won't touch elderberries
ime.

Perhaps, but this one (the youngster; half Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
part whippet and part ferret) eats wallpaper, plaster, carpets,
chipboard, rubber gloves, one of my hats and a mobile phone (so far..!).
--
Andy Mabbett

Say "NO!" to compulsory ID Cards: http://www.no2id.net/

The message
from Andy Mabbett contains these words:
In message , Janet Baraclough
writes

Even dogs who like eating fruit and berries, won't touch elderberries
ime.

Perhaps, but this one (the youngster; half Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
part whippet and part ferret) eats wallpaper, plaster, carpets,
chipboard, rubber gloves, one of my hats and a mobile phone (so far..!).

Have you tried it on Winalot and (say) Pal?

Our English bull terror used to eat fallen apples and pears, but I never
saw her hoovering fallen elderberries - and we had a fair number of
those.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

On Wed, 22 Feb 2006 22:52:40 +0000, Andy Mabbett
wrote:


I recently bought a Black Elder (Sambucus niger) for friend who's
growing a bird- friendly garden. She also has two dogs, one a puppy.

She was concerned to read on the label that the plant is "harmful if
eaten". Since both elder flowers and elderberries are a food, what's
harmful? Is it the bark or sap, or something else? Or simply
over-cautious labelling.


Andy Mabbett?
Now there's a name from the past to bring an attack of the horrors to
people

In article ,
Andy Mabbett writes:
| In message , Janet Baraclough
| writes
|
| Even dogs who like eating fruit and berries, won't touch elderberries
| ime.
|
| Perhaps, but this one (the youngster; half Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
| part whippet and part ferret) eats wallpaper, plaster, carpets,
| chipboard, rubber gloves, one of my hats and a mobile phone (so far..!).

Nice to see you posting here again.

I hope that he also eats trolls - nothing else seems to :-(


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 22/2/06 23:59, in article , "Andy
Mabbett" wrote:

In message , Janet Baraclough
writes
Even dogs who like eating fruit and berries, won't touch elderberries
ime.

Perhaps, but this one (the youngster; half Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
part whippet and part ferret) eats wallpaper, plaster, carpets,
chipboard, rubber gloves, one of my hats and a mobile phone (so far..!).

One of our Jack Russell's has eaten his way through about five beds of
differing kinds - he is particularly partial to that imitation sheepskin
stuff. He also catches and eats rats and rabbits (occasionally)and then
thoughtfully deposits the partially digested remains on the kitchen floor.
Our collie cross used to eat carrots and wandered around for hours with one
stuck out of the corner of her mouth, peering round bushes at people as if
to say "would you like to admire this carrot?" She stole them out of the
veg.rack.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
)

In article , Andy Mabbett
writes

In message , Janet Baraclough
writes

Even dogs who like eating fruit and berries, won't touch elderberries
ime.

Perhaps, but this one (the youngster; half Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
part whippet and part ferret) eats wallpaper, plaster, carpets,
chipboard, rubber gloves, one of my hats and a mobile phone (so far..!).

Sheesh! That's one untidy garden.

--
Flower Bobdew
South Facing Garden
South West: UK

On 23/2/06 13:51, in article , "Janet
Baraclough" wrote:

The message
from Andy Mabbett contains these words:

In message , Janet Baraclough
writes
Even dogs who like eating fruit and berries, won't touch elderberries
ime.

Perhaps, but this one (the youngster; half Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
part whippet and part ferret) eats wallpaper, plaster, carpets,
chipboard, rubber gloves, one of my hats and a mobile phone (so far..!).

A friend of mine minded her son's dog for one week, during which it
ate her hearing aid, spectacle frames, and the front passenger seat of
her car.

That dog *really* didn't want her to go anywhere, did he?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
)

"Nick Maclaren" wrote after
Andy Mabbett posted

Nice to see you posting here again.

I hope that he also eats trolls - nothing else seems to :-(


Yes, I second that, nice to see you back Andy.

I just realised I haven't seen "that" troll around lately.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes
The message
from Dave the exTrailer contains these words:


Now there's a name from the past to bring an attack of the horrors to
people

Oh look, another crony of the crazed cruiser. Where is that flea powder?


On the subject of that modest bloke that owns the Isle of Wight - he
wasn't on that cruise that hot-footed to South america without stopping
was he?

--
regards andyw

Sacha wrote:
On 23/2/06 13:51, in article ,
"Janet Baraclough" wrote:
[...]
A friend of mine minded her son's dog for one week, during which it
ate her hearing aid, spectacle frames, and the front passenger seat
of
her car.

That dog *really* didn't want her to go anywhere, did he?

Another sad case of an untrained dog-owner, methinks. I don't want to
belittle anybody, as it can seem difficult to train a dog, especially if
one has the bizarre soppy attitude to animals some British people have;
but if one lets a pet get into that kind of habit, one really has only
oneself to blame. Dogs _like_ being strictly trained; in fact, it's
emotional abuse to deprive them of it. If one doesn't enjoy working and
playing with dogs, there's not much point in having one at all. /rant

--
Mike.

On 23/2/06 16:12, in article , "newsb"
wrote:

In article , Janet Baraclough
writes
The message
from Dave the exTrailer contains these words:


Now there's a name from the past to bring an attack of the horrors to
people

Oh look, another crony of the crazed cruiser. Where is that flea powder?


On the subject of that modest bloke that owns the Isle of Wight - he
wasn't on that cruise that hot-footed to South america without stopping
was he?

Do we care? ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
)

"Mike Lyle" wrote
Another sad case of an untrained dog-owner, methinks. I don't want to
belittle anybody, as it can seem difficult to train a dog, especially
if one has the bizarre soppy attitude to animals some British people
have; but if one lets a pet get into that kind of habit, one really
has only oneself to blame. Dogs _like_ being strictly trained; in
fact, it's emotional abuse to deprive them of it. If one doesn't enjoy
working and playing with dogs, there's not much point in having one at
all.
/rant

If you see that tv programme 'It's Me or the Dog', it appears a lot of
people treat their poor animals as Barbie doll substitutes! :-/

--
Sue