In article ,
Rusty Hinge 2 writes:
|
| The main difference between it and common staples is that we tend
| to know the conditions under which the latter can be eaten safely.
|
| Well, in parts Sith Effrica they are a staple.

And in some other parts of the world. That was what puzzled the
researchers - they weren't sure whether the regional variants were
the key to edibility, or what. Solanum nigrum is cosmopolitan, was
so since before humans arose, and is a variable species.

| Some of them. There isn't much in strawberry or quince. Seriously
| acid and pectin-rich fruits (like japonica) produce a jam like that
| with little effort :-)
|
| A? Have you missed-out one of Mary's comments? There's LOADS of acid in
| quinces and enough in strawberries. Are we talking pectin, here?

Actually, no. True quinces (Cydonia oblonga) aren't very acid at all
(the 'bite' is something else, as with sloes), though Chaenomeles is.
And the same applies to strawberries - some varieties border on the
sickly, because they have been bred for sweetness partly by breeding
for low acid.

I agree that the primary problem with strawberries is pectin (because
they have effectively damn-all), but am not entirely sure what the
problem is with Cydonia. Anyway, jam made from them alone typically
doesn't set properly.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.