[Sca-cooks] Re: Barberries (was "Just a Feast")

[Diamond Randall]

[ Converted text/html to text/plain ]

>I very much doubt it's available here in Canada, in the winter.  I chose
>to make a substitution of one red, tart-flavoured berry for another,
>based on the lack of known availability of the exact thing.  If someone
>shows me where I can get real barberries (or Oregon grapes) in Ottawa
>within the next 6 weeks at a reasonable price, I'll happily substitute.
>Failing that, I'll go with the best I can manage.  And if you don't like
>it, then you don't have to eat it.
>Yours, Katherine

Hey, no flame intended Katherine.  I am making botanical commentary, not
reflecting on your cooking.  There should be barberries in Ottawa as they
are hardy to mid-zone two and my maps show you are in zone 3 or 4.
As to finding them at a "reasonable price", I have no idea.  They are
scarcely used enough to be commercially available, though people do
sell ingredients I thought I would never would see sold.  It is
quite possible that folks in your SCA group might locate some for you
though.  The berries persist on the leafless bush usually through the winter
to my experience naturally dried among the numerous thorns.  The thorns
make it rather hard for birds to strip them all.  I assume they could be
re hydrated.   They retain their very bright and shiny red outer skins
(that is one of the reasons that they are a popular landscaping plant).
The red of cranberries is very dull by comparison.  I would think that
they could still be easily found in major parks and campuses
so perhaps someone on the list could gather you a pound or so and
send it up if you have six weeks leeway.  Can some of y'all check out maybe
Central Park for Katherine.  I would but I am in a very rural area where
folks don't do much in fancy landscaping shrubs (except me and I don't have
any).  Now if you wanted soybeans or cedar berries..... that's easier.

As to Oregon Grapes, mahonias seem to be native to China and to the western
US.  I can't find a native European species.  However, there are RED berry
mahonias that grows in sage bush scrub and chaparral in south California
(Mahonia nevinii) and (Mahonia fremontii) in S. California, Utah, Colorado
and Arizona growing in juniper and Joshua tree wood habitat that would be
loser to barberry than the blue-black Oregon Grape.   Maybe some list member
could find you some of these and get them to you via someone at Estrella.
Heck for all I know, the Estrella site might be where they grow naturally.

Akim