RYDA Newsletter 07/2022

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Foraging has steadily become more popular for the past 20 years. Knowing which plant species to avoid and which to take home and eat has become ever more important due to the popularity of foraging among chefs, as seen on TV shows such as 'Masterchef', and in families trying to stretch the budget.

'It is inevitable that the more people there are foraging, the more people will end up accidentally eating something poisonous.

'Fortunately, this rarely results in serious long-term consequences, though it does occasionally happen.'

Forage SafelyCross check and double-check

Always cross-check your sources and be 100% certain of what you are foraging. If you have any doubt in your mind, don’t risk it. Be aware that photographs found on the internet are sometimes labelled incorrectly.

Forage Responsibly

Never eat any plant or fungi unless you are absolutely certain of its identification.
Only collect flowers, leaves, fruits and seeds where they are in abundance, leaving plenty for other foragers and, more importantly, for wildlife.
To avoid wastage, plan in advance what you wish to collect and how you are going to use it.
Do not collect rare species that may be protected by law. You need to know what not to collect.
Do not forage in nature reserves without checking whether it is permitted in the local bylaws. Never forage in Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Never damage a plant or uproot a plant. Pick with care to avoid this happening by accident. Scissors or sheers may help here.
Only take mushrooms that have opened their caps and are likely to have already dropped their spores.

DANGEROUS: DEAD MAN'S FINGERS (Oenanthe crocata)

Dead man's fingers, also known as hemlock water dropwort, has toxic leaves and stems that look a lot like parsley, with attractive white flowers, while the even more toxic roots of the plant look and smell just like parsnips.

The reason for this is they belong to the same plant family – but this doesn't make dead man's fingers safe to consume.

All parts of the plant contain a powerful neurotoxin called oenanthetoxin, which triggers spasmodic convulsions, usually followed by sudden death.

Consuming any part of the plant can lead to nausea, vomiting, seizures, lethargy, sweating and visual hallucinations, as well as capable of causing convulsions and even sudden death.

DANGEROUS: LORDS AND LADIES (Arum maculatum)

Lord and ladies is one of the many common names for this plant, given in reference to the apparent resemblance of its flower to male and female genitalia.

A spike protrudes from inside a cobra-like hood or 'spathe' of the flower, which also has arrow-shaped leaves.

This spike grows throughout the year into a long stalk that grows a dense cluster of attractive but dangerous red berries.

'All parts of this plant are poisonous, and the leaves and berries contain microscopic needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate which, upon contact with the soft tissue of mouth and throat, cause immediate and intense pain and irritation,'

'If you get the juice from the berries on your hands it will irritate your skin.'

Unfortunately, the arrow shaped leaves of lords and ladies look very similar to edible sorrel, and so they're often mistaken for each other.

James Bond fans may recall their hero being poisoned with a Digitalis drug by antagonist Le Chiffre in the 2006 film 'Casino Royale'.

DANGEROUS: COMMON FOXGLOVE (Digitalis purpurea)

The 'beautiful but deadly' common foxglove is very common in Europe in woodlands, mountain grassland and sometimes sea cliffs.

It's best recognised by its striking array of pinky-purple or white bell-like flowers on very tall stems with wrinkled, oval-shaped leaves.

the 'extremely toxic' floxglove can be mistaken for members of the edible borage family, although unlike borage it 'smells foul and tastes bitter'.

But the whole plant is extremely toxic due to the presence of glycosides, which cause skin irritation on contact, as well as vomiting, dizziness, delirium, convulsions, headaches and cardiac arrest if consumed.

Digitalis is still used today to make medicines that strengthen contractions of the heart muscle, typically for patients with congestive heart failure.

It has oval-shaped leaves with smooth edges, bell-shaped purple and green flowers and shiny black berries, dubbed 'death cherries'.

All parts of the plant are toxic, especially the berries, which contain a mixture of alkaloids that affect the nervous system.

One of them, atropine, causes sweating, vomiting, breathing difficulties, confusion, hallucinations and death.

'It causes a wide range of symptoms associated with severe disruption to the nervous system, including hallucinations (victims may start talking gibberish or swipe at imaginary flying objects) and eventually death by respiratory failure.

The berries pose the greatest danger to children because they look attractive and have a somewhat sweet taste.

So if a child tried one, there's a risk that they would keep on eating more and more of them – increasing the risk of a fatality.

It takes 10 or 20 of the berries to kill an adult, while just two can kill a child.

Rather confusingly, poisonous deadly nightshade is a member of the nightshade family Solanaceae, which also includes edible plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and black nightshade (Solanum nigrum).

Be wary though – if you see a plant with berries that look like tomatoes in the wild, chances are they're poisonous members of the Solanaceae family.

DANGEROUS: DEADLY NIGHTSHADE (Atropa belladonna)

Deadly nightshade is an attractive yet dangerous plant that inhabits hedgerows in England, often in dark and shady areas.

EDIBLE: THREE-CORNERED LEEK (Allium triquetrum)

Chances are you have stepped on the three-cornered leek in the wild without even knowing it's edible.

It's distinguishable by its white flowers on a three-cornered or triangular stem.

When pulled up from its roots, this species looks remarkably like spring onions. The entire plant smells of garlic and onion when crushed.

'The whole of this plant is good to eat, from bulb to flowers. And can be used in soups, as a base for a mixed salad, to make a pesto, or as a cooked green vegetable.

In Britain, the three-cornered leek is considered invasive because it's not native – it was brought over from the Mediterranean in the 18th century – and rapidly spreads over large parts of land.

It can be found in abundance in woodlands, road sides and riverbanks.

The plant is detectable by its oval-shaped leaves, small white flowers and a distinctive and pungent garlicky smell easily noticed by foragers.

Ramsons are often used in salads and combined with eggs and mayonnaise, perfect for a sandwich filling.

Ramsons have been confused with lords and ladies, as well as another highly poisonous plant called lily of the valley (which has paired leaves unlike ramsons).

EDIBLE: RAMSONS (Allium ursinum)

Ramsons, or wild garlic, coat the woodland floor in spring, especially in damp and shady woodlands.

EDIBLE: JAPANESE KNOTWEED (Reynoutria japonica)

Japanese knotweed has made headlines recently for being one of the most feared invasive plants in Britain – but many people are unaware it's also edible.

Native to Japan, Korea and China, the weed was introduced to British shores by the Victorians as an ornamental garden plant.

But it spreads rapidly and has a powerful ability to force its way through concrete or brick, damaging structures such as houses and roads.

Except for the flowers, all parts of the plant are edible when young and tender, including the chunky stems.

The stems look and taste a bit like rhubarb, making it a good alternative for a crumble filling.

Japanese knotweed is 'under attack' from local authorities due to the damage it can make to buildings. For this reason, the plant may have been sprayed by industrial-strength herbicides.

'The only way to be absolutely certain you are avoiding this problem is to contact the landowner.

'Both the berries and leaves of this plant have been extensively eaten historically, both foraged and cultivated. However, the berries only become edible when they ripen and turn black. When they're green and unripe, they contain large amounts of a toxin called solanine, which can cause drowsiness and gastrointestinal symptoms when ingested.

Solanine is also found in leaves and tuber – the bit that we eat – of the potato plant, which is why we should avoid eating green potatoes.

So how do we tell the difference between black nightshade and its dangerous relative deadly nightshade?

'Black nightshade has matt berries which hang in large clusters

Deadly nightshade has shiny berries which are usually singles, though sometimes two hang together.'

Volga Germans – ethnic Germans who settled and historically lived along the Volga River in Russia – traditionally use black nightshade berries in a cake or to fill dumplings.

EDIBLE: BLACK NIGHTSHADE (Solanum nigrum)

Black nightshade has oval-shaped leaves, small, white, star-shaped flowers and clusters of round dark green berries that are green at first but a dull black when ripe.

A WARNING FOR FORAGERS

Avoid plants if you can't identify them, and get advice from expert sources rather than random people on social media.
Social media provides an endless supply of unreliable information, and this is no exception. 'It is a particular problem with foraging, because a lot of people online want to play at being an expert, and it is hard to know who actually knows their stuff and who is guessing.'
Smartphone apps that claim to identify a plant just from a photo should also be given a miss. They regularly make mistakes that no human would make – e.g. mistaking ivy for maple.
'Identifying plants requires much more than just visual properties – smell, habitat and location are all important.'
'If you are going to learn how to forage, then you need to learn how to identify wild species yourself, and you need to know what can be confused with what.' – Arm yourself with a good book that has both pictures and descriptions.

Be cautious when eating something for the first time

Following on from the previous point, when eating a plant that you have never eaten before, remember everyone’s tolerance levels are different. First, taste the plant but don’t eat any. Assuming you have no adverse reactions, eat just a little. If there are still no adverse reactions eat a little more.

Never forage by roadsides

Plants, and especially fungi, can absorb pollutants from road traffic so I never forage beside roads.

Avoid pesticides

Never forage in places that may have been sprayed with pesticide so avoid edges of agricultural fields.

Avoid landfill and industrial sites

Never forage on land previously used as landfill or industrial purposes.

Our thanks go to Alan Lomax & Chris Bradley who removed the 2 old benches from Noss Green at the end of June. The new bench has been installed by Andrew and Dave Goodchild complete with dedication plaque to Her Majesty.

Your RYDA committee, work tirelessly on the behalf of its members, not only replacing benches, but assisting with woodland maintenance, sitting on other committees that are related to the work of the RYDA, raising funds for replacing Popes Quay bollards, new flags, new handrails for the Noss Voss steps, and insurances for the woodlands and harbour clean up, Maintaining and publishing the village directory etc as well as heaps of paperwork & keeping the community up to date with what’s going on via our Newsletters, web site and Face book page

The Parish Council has installed a defibrillator at the pavilion at Butts Park. It was supplied by the South Western Ambulance Service (SWAS) and is now live on the National Defibrillator network - The Circuit.

SWAS will be holding a free defibrillator training event in the autumn (date and location to be confirmed).

Yealm Community Electric Transport : Electric Water Taxi Project

Mooring holders may have already heard of a project by local people to create a seasonal electrically powered water taxi service in the river. The project, known as Yealm Community Electric Transport (YCET), has requested the Authority send a newsletter from YCET providing background on YCET and the project. This is attached. The newsletter explains how and during which hours YCET intends to operate its service and that it will not compete in any way with the seasonal ferry service provided by Billy Gregor.

Following a formal request from YCET, the Authority has agreed to permit the laying of electrical cabling, as well as the along-side docking of the water taxi on the downstream, shoreside of the hammerhead pontoon. A seasonal licence agreement has been completed between YCET and the Authority covering rights and obligations relating to access, mooring, adherence to Authority rules and regulations, and so on.

As many of you will have already observed this season, there is a growing trend towards the adoption of electric propulsion for tenders by visitors and local people. The Authority believes this reflects a wider awareness about how to address pollution in the river and how best to embrace renewable energy sources for the future. Whilst the Authority does not sponsor, or promote the YCET project in anyway, it is for these reasons that it was felt appropriate to agree to YCET’s requests.

More generally, Yealm Steps continues to cause issues and concerns for many. In particular, dinghy congestion at the Yealm Steps pontoons can be a major issue at times. We would like to remind dinghy owners that dinghies left at Yealm Steps must be kept clear of rainwater and display a valid Harbour Licence. Dinghies that do not comply with this request may be removed by the Authority

A look at the past!

Don't get caught out by scam websites! New tool lets you confirm whether a site is safe to use BEFORE visiting

Internet safety group Get Safe Online is hosting a free website-checking tool that lets you see if it is a scam before accessing it.

https://www.getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite/

Yealmpton Church.

Photos courtesy of Margaret Thomas

Finally. a reminder of the Jubilee celebrations with previously unshared photos.

Newton Ferrers Queen for the day; Suzanne Sparrow

& last but by no means least – the WI getting set up for a celebration tea

Planning

Planning Application Ref: 1639/22/FUL

Replacement dwelling and associated works (Resubmission of 4444/21/FUL)

The Blossoms Lower Court Road

A revised proposal to replace a two-story house near the far end of Lower Court Road supersedes the previous “box” design which was withdrawn. This new design is for a more “conventional” house having a mix of light grey render and Cedar Cladding under a natural slate roof. The long, narrow approach road dictates that the contractors will need a careful and considerate attitude, which must be reflected in the Construction Management Plan.

Land opposite Butts Park 2982/21/FUL Newton and Noss Community Land Trust

Revised plans have been submitted for The erection of 20 residential units (17 social rent and 3 open market) with associated car parking and landscaping. This proposal is out for consultation until 21^st July.

Although the revised plans are not yet shown on the SHDC Planning website they should be uploaded very soon. We understand that any comments already made will normally stand unless they are superseded by details or information contained in the revised plans.

Land west of Collaton Park – 125 Houses, commercial units, and landscaping etc. Planning Application Ref: 3335/21/FUL.

Following the decision of the South Hams District Council Development Management Committee to approve the proposal, there were one or more requests to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to call in the application for determination. It has been confirmed that the Secretary of State has decided not to call in this application.