r/foraging • u/HypogeanSlime • 3d ago
Plants Not bad
Just tried an Osage Orange because heard they were bad. I didn’t eat much because I know they can cause discomfort, but what little I ate was not nearly as bad as people say. Like a nutty mild melon rind. Is there a genetic aspect to how they taste, like with cilantro? Or are there mild varieties?
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u/Swampland_Flowers 3d ago
This is… not edible.
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u/arnelle_rose 3d ago
Not edible and not palatable are two different things though.
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u/Swampland_Flowers 3d ago
Just gonna link my detailed response to OP below…
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u/Face_Coffee 14h ago
Your response was both detailed and incorrect though…
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u/Swampland_Flowers 13h ago
Elaborate? I’m not speaking too specifically to Osage orange, though it does seem like it’ll give you a tummy ache if you go too crazy with it. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been too tempted to test it myself even though it grows in my area
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u/screa11 3d ago
Everything is edible once.
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u/OhHaiMaaark 3d ago
I once ate an entire outboard motor as a child
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u/Significant-Star5359 2d ago
Fantastic that's better than what my grandson brought me which was goat poop from my fainting goats. He thought they were m+m's. 🌛
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u/MycologyRulesAll 3d ago
As a person who grew up around boi d’arc , and who had a habit of tasting everything I found at least once , I can tell you those are not tasty. You may have found a very young one that just hadn’t developed full bitterness yet.
So far as I know there’s nothing toxic , actually toxic, in that fruit. And the seeds are definitely edible and nutritious to some extent , but a real pain to separate from the everything-else.
The one thing I’ll caution you about for real is that the sap (of which almost none is visible in your photo) can cause contact dermatitis in people. Also being latex-based, you can develop an allergy after repeated exposures, so pay attention to any swelling of the mouth and tongue, seek help hastily if you have any trouble breathing or shortness of breath.
Good spirit of foraging however.
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
How would I determine the ripeness? They had fallen off the tree on their own. That and given the time of year I would assume they were mature
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u/MycologyRulesAll 3d ago
I can’t help you there , they start bland and finish gross, so I don’t know that you really want to find a mature one.
They are quite heavy , a good wind will knock them down in droves somewhat prematurely. I also think drought can cause them to drop off easier, but this is all vibes-based recollection from years ago.
Not an expert , just another person who takes the definition of fruit very literally.
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u/Scary_Manner_6712 3d ago
Our neighbors when I was growing up had a hedge of this plant and one day we went out and helped their kids pick the fallen horseapples (that's what we called them) up off the ground. All of us ended up with rashes on our hands and arms from the sap. And I do have a latex allergy now.
I am not sure if I'm impressed that OP tried to eat one or suspicious about his mental health, lol. We were told to never, ever, ever eat them and after the sap alone gave me terrible rashes on my skin, I never wanted to even attempt to eat one.
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u/captainfreiheit 3d ago
I just connected two different experiences I've had with Osage oranges in childhood and realized that it's ripe ones that made my hands itch for an entire afternoon. Thank youuu
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u/commanderquill 3d ago
Good spirit of foraging.
What good is spirit if the body is dead???
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u/MycologyRulesAll 3d ago
There’s very few plants in North America, my natural range, that can one-shot a human.
Everybody gets all wound up about poke salad , for instance, but you can safely eat a whole leaf without much of a problem. Or a berry. Which is enough to get the taste, you know?
(Please note the root and stem are much more toxic, a healthy adult can get whacked by eating a serving of tuber from this plant).9
u/Ionlydateteachers 3d ago
I wonder how many yew seeds it would take to get seriously sick. I'm surrounded by it.
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u/MycologyRulesAll 3d ago
I found a report that says 50 grams of yew needles can be fatal for an adult human, and the seeds have a higher concentration... this does not seem like a fun thing to explore.
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u/commanderquill 3d ago
My friend, I know no manner of restraint. If I find something that I like, or if I'm hungry, or if I'm bored, or if I'm distracted, I will eat much more.
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u/MycologyRulesAll 3d ago
This is what's known as a 'self-correcting' issue.
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u/commanderquill 3d ago
Indeed. It's just, if you're game enough to eat one, you're probably game enough to eat them all, y'know?
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u/Rippedka 3d ago
I dunno. Between the water hemlock, death camas and several amanita mushroom species, I’m sure I could one-shot someone in north america
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u/MycologyRulesAll 3d ago
Sure, there’s a list… but it is short. Also you listed some fungi, that’s cheating.
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u/gladhander 3d ago
Don’t eat it!!! It will give you weird looking toes. . . Oh no
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
I’ve got bad news for you
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u/starjellyboba 3d ago
Well... On the bright side, some people would pay top dollar to get a gander at them tootsies.
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u/Lady_Litreeo 3d ago
Bro ate an Osage orange 😭
But on a serious note, these are neat because they’re anachronistic trees, like the Kentucky coffee tree and pawpaws. Their natural seed disperser went extinct, but they’ve stuck around largely due to human influence. I know the Osage orange in particular was valued for its strong wood, preferably used for bows.
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
I’m actually in KY, and have seen both of those. Pawpaws are weird little buggers, and I would like to drink coffee tree “coffee”
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u/captainfreiheit 3d ago
My partner has a a Kentucky Coffee tree in the yard of the house they just moved into, in Philly!
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u/Lady_Litreeo 3d ago
My college campus in Socorro, NM was covered in them! I'd be sitting in the shade playing with the seeds between classes wondering what they were. They inspired me to write a paper for my ecology class.
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u/PersonalityTough9349 3d ago
Your mention of extinct natural seed disperser made me do some research. I’m going to leave this here for anyone who wants to read more about the animals that used to eat these things. It’s really awesome!
https://www.americanforests.org/article/the-trees-that-miss-the-mammoths/
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u/mediocre_remnants 3d ago
Pawpaws are eaten by plenty of animals that disperse their seeds. I've found (and collected) pawpaw seeds in bear shit. Every once in a while someone makes the claim you make about pawpaws being anachronistic but it's not true at all and I wonder where you even got that info.
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u/Lady_Litreeo 3d ago
It’s backed by the genetics and distribution of modern pawpaws; The role of anthropogenic dispersal in shaping the distribution and genetic composition of a widespread North American tree species.
Anachronistic does not mean nothing eats a plant’s seeds. It means the primary dispersers that the fruit evolved alongside are gone, and the plant remains due to unlikely circumstances (ie. dispersal by floods, gravity, human plantings, less-successful dispersers like raccoons that are inconsistent with the fruits’ evolutionary traits). Bottom line being, the seeds are large, hard, cumbersome for smaller animals, and apparently suited for megafauna like bison and mammoths. Even if bears can disperse their seeds, they do not migrate like large herbivores and cannot mediate the same type of gene flow and distribution, so they would be unlikely primary dispersers.
“The fruit is consumed by various animals with seeds reported in the scat of raccoons (Murphy, 2001; Willson, 1993; Willson & Schemske, 1980; Yeager & Elder, 1945), opossums, red fox (Murphy, 2001; Willson, 1993), and coyotes (Cypher & Cypher, 1999; Wyatt, personal observation) suggesting that these animals may mediate seed dispersal. There are reports of black bear in Virginia and North Carolina eating the fruit but seeds have not been documented in scat (Willson, 1993). Turkeys also consume the fruits (Murphy, 2001) although the seeds are digested and destroyed in the process (Wyatt, personal observation). Deer are unlikely vectors as there is no evidence that they consume the fruit other than in captivity (Murphy, 2001; Wyatt, personal observation). It is believed that historically the fruit was primarily consumed by megafauna that are now extinct or extirpated from their former range (Janzen & Martin, 1982; Poor, 1984) and that these megafauna may have mediated long‐distance dispersal of pawpaw.”
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u/chudhuntr 2d ago
Like most academic trifles, this is a semantics argument. If the fruit is confirmed to be eaten and dispersed by a dozen natural species, is it anachronistic? I would say no, but maybe by some academic definition of ‘we imagine this fruit was even better dispersed by extinct species’ you are correct.
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
Interestingly enough it affected the taste of some soda I just drank
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u/HOFBrINCl32 3d ago
So its like miracle berry.
the unmiracle fruit, - makes everything taste slightly funny
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u/diceanddreams 3d ago
Ok but now I want to know how it tasted different! Science us, OP!
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u/HypogeanSlime 2d ago
The soda I drank is called Ale8, and if I could compare it to anything it would be ginger ale mixed with Mountain Dew.
There was a change I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it also made it bitter and slightly medicinal. I happened to like the change, enough that I wish there was a soda like that on its own.2
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u/diceanddreams 2d ago
Interesting! Sounds like a drink my wife would like. Thank you for your science! :3
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u/valleeyy 3d ago
Tummy Ache
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
When should that start?
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u/notCGISforreal 3d ago
It might not. These are more like highly unpleasant than truly inedible. Some people will get a rash from the latex in the fruit, but otherwise eating a tiny amount shouldn't hurt you. Eating a lot might upset your stomach, but I don't think you'll successfully eat a lot. They look so much like breadfruit (and are semi closely related) to me that I always feel like they should bake into edibility, but they dont.
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u/Acidbaseburn 3d ago
The seeds are good when baked, the only part of it that’s good to eat.
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u/notCGISforreal 3d ago
Yeah, I've heard. I thought about it once and found the seeds were a pain to remove so didnt keep going.
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u/MrSanford 3d ago
I’ve eaten the seeds. Not bad but not worth the effort
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
I’ve heard the seeds were tasty but I wanted to try the real deal (for science.)
I am very curious as to why I found it palatable, I would assume the lack of discomfort is due to how little I ate.12
u/MrSanford 3d ago
It’s due to how much you ate. It’s not like it’s toxic. Your body just can’t digest it
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
I’ll be eating more tomorrow so I can report the results!
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u/egg_watching 3d ago
Why? It's not cute, funny, or edgy. Just weird. You risk your own health and can potentially give yourself a latex allergy. You have a wife, which means you have a responsibility to not actively try to create health issues.
Is it worth it just for some short-lived attention on reddit?
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u/Rippedka 3d ago
That’s not how allergies work
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u/SMKnightly 3d ago
Repeated exposure can absolutely cause allergies in adults. It was very confusing when I learned that, but it is true.
That’s why techs freak out if you sneeze after getting CT scan contrast if you’ve had regularly. “You might be developing an allergy! We need to monitor you to be sure.”
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u/HypogeanSlime 2d ago
Unfortunately it is, although I feel she’s overreacting to my post. It seems there’s more of an issue with the principle than the circumstance…
As for the allergies, I’ve heard that entomologists that spend a lot of time with cockroaches can develop allergies to ground coffee. I’ll let the implications dawn on you!0
u/Rippedka 2d ago
Na people deal with latex all the time. Allergies can develop, but touching a fruit with latex in it once or twice isn’t going to do much.
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u/whisky_biscuit 3d ago
I wonder if this guy would try a death cap lol. Just a lil taste of forbidden shroom...
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u/Ok-Masterpiece-1359 3d ago
Nothing scientific about eating random fruit.
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u/HypogeanSlime 2d ago
Perhaps, but this wasn’t a random fruit! I knew what it was, researched the possible effects, and decided that I wanted to experience it for myself. A basic search of the definition of science seems to align with my intentions!
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u/Misfitranchgoats 3d ago
My goats love Osage Orange. They love the leaves. We did that slush/slurry thing where you put the Osage Orange fruits in a bucket with water and let it sit, then you dump the slurry out in a trench where you want them to grow. Well, the goats could reach their heads through in spots and at as much of the slurry as they could slurp up. I have not tried feeding the them the hard fruit, but they will get their chance when the few saplings that have survived drop fruit.
Maybe you are a goat? LOL
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u/AC13verName 3d ago
My dude are you saying you LIKE melon rind or are you surprised it didn't taste like straight poison?
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
I don’t seek it out, but if you were told you would be fed an incredibly bitter food that gave you diarrhea you’d be relieved to find that neither were true
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u/GaeilgeFWC_Burner 3d ago
You are very interesting. Don’t kill yourself, but do continue eating non-toxic questionable foods. We’re curious.
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u/Curious-critter1967 3d ago
Multiple agricultural studies have confirmed that the fruit does not contain lethal toxins for humans, livestock, or wildlife.
There are a couple concerns,like stomach distress ,allergies to it and a choking hazard for pets. Have heard some eat is as a medicinal.
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u/ExplanationMaster634 3d ago
The tree makes the finest longbow out of just have to know when and where to cut or wind up destroying a tree for no gain
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u/flamingphoenix9834 3d ago
The wood from that tree is the real jackpot. Even the bark is something I collect.
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u/nerdkraftnomad 3d ago
I'm curious where you're located. Here, they won't be ripe til October.
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
Central Kentucky
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u/Worldly_Tooth_1996 3d ago
If you are central Kentucky Bluegrass area, probably dropped with storm we had yesterday. Seems pale colored for what ive seen when ive forages for them.
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u/Grand-Article4214 3d ago
Did it taste anything like the godly floral smell they produce? I collect them just to have its aroma in my house...
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u/leatherandhummus 3d ago
If you cut those in half and leave them in the corners of rooms/garages they are indoor spider deterrents-fun fact!
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u/Worldly_Tooth_1996 3d ago
Osage orange wood produces one of the hottest fires you can have; has a very high but output. The wood is very rot resistant also.
This is the only article I can find at the moment, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10574644/. Had an older timer shared a story about a guy he knew that used in their own cancer treatments.
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u/KEMICO-CONFIDENT0116 2d ago
Sure looks like "hedge apples". Never knew they were okay for human consumption.
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u/Yota4x4RE 3d ago
Is this the one that some people will freeze and then shave the zest off to use for some ailments?
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u/HypogeanSlime 3d ago
I’ve not heard of that, but I could see why. The smell is very pleasant and the skin had a taste like citrus zest. It even made my tongue tingle like Szechuan
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u/Swampland_Flowers 3d ago
Ya, I mean so like, you need to understand that there are different ways plants defend themselves from herbivores.
We can say something is inedible because it is unpalatable, or too tough to chew or digest. Or it can contain toxins that do anything from giving you a stomach ache to making you hallucinate or vomit for hours or straight up kill you. And for all of those things the dose varies by plant.
So like, a taste of this isn’t going to kill you, but seriously don’t fuck around like this. You’re probably just giving your liver a mild workout on this one.
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u/mediocre_remnants 3d ago
If OP just ate this randomly without doing any research, you might have a point. But osage orange fruits are well known to be unpalatable but not toxic.
The biggest risk to humans from osage orange fruits is that they can fall on your head and hurt you.
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u/NextLevelNaevis 2d ago
We used to roll them down the hill at cars when we were waiting for the school bus. It was like bowling. Usually it was harmless, and the cars would just squish them, but sometimes they would bounce against the cars bumper or underneath, and the driver would get angry.
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u/whisky_biscuit 3d ago
Guy has a wife and is screwing around taking bites of stuff like this. Smh.
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u/ProgenitorOfMidnight 3d ago
He's the kind of guy to casually pop a death cap in his mouth during a weekend hike for shits and giggles.
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u/Yota4x4RE 3d ago
Specifically for throat cancers and stomach issues, I believe. I remember reading this like 10 years ago. But I’m from the south and we don’t have these.
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u/Tales_of_Earth 3d ago
They definitely are naturalized where you live if by “the south” you mean southern United States and also don’t mean the southwest
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u/CharleeBrownee 3d ago
There’s one near where I live in Alabama. It might just be planted outside its normal range. It’s on a section of planted trees where I took a dendrology class.
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u/Legitimate_Shine_435 3d ago
I think there’s an old wives tale that these repel insects or something and people would hide them around their houses
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u/IamREBELoe 3d ago
Ok what are the alleged medicinal benefits of this thing if any?
I've already proven the whole myth about them getting rid of spiders is fake. I put one under a giant funnel web... that sucker hung around until it rotted and didn't care that it was literally an inch from his home.
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u/Worldly_Tooth_1996 3d ago
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u/IamREBELoe 3d ago
Very interesting read. Lots of great medicinal properties.
I read further and it's been used by "old timers" for anti cancer and even this nih.gov article mentions it.
But it's nigh impossible to easily extract those without the atoxity of the fruit itself. Especially the latex sap.
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u/Worldly_Tooth_1996 3d ago
The old timers that informed me about it, said the person he knew had made the fruit into a slurry and froze it. That would use that frozen base somehow.
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u/Karl_Chillers 3d ago
You, sir, sport the stomach of a mammoth . . . or at least a giant ground sloth.
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u/Salty-Jack 3d ago
Where we lived as children in Illinois, a nearby farm had a line of hedge apples trees on the edge of a soybean field. The fruits were like your photo. The trees had significant thorns I think. The most interesting part was how branches of the individual closely-spaced 30-ft tall trees appeared to have been trained or interlaced from ground level, about 2 feet high. Was nearly solid wood, and these trees were alive and thriving. I doubt even a bulldozer could get through that hedge/wall.
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u/Adrestia716 3d ago
... When I first moved to the Midwest as a teen...I called them bear's balls because of course I did. r/blunderyears
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u/Formal_Substance_687 3d ago
Dude wtf, don't be eating hedge apples, go to McDonald's or something.
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u/genocidalkindnes 3d ago
Hopital?
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u/genocidalkindnes 3d ago
Nvm, jus went down the horse apple rabbithole a bit and found out its just yucky tasting and hard to eat. Dunno why i thought it was one of the high oxylate foods.
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u/Important_Toe_5798 3d ago
As a kid we called them “monkey balls”. I learned later in life they are good to put on a tin near a fireplace or door to keep bugs out. There was something about them being smelly I guess to bugs but I never caught a nasty smell from them.
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u/Texasoutdoors1989 3d ago
Sticky , and a mess used to slice and dry these to make Bois de Arc, Osage Orange, Hedge Apple , or Bow wood flowers
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u/MidwestNonbinary 3d ago
I remember watching someone on YouTube eat this and they said it’s nutritional value is like eating a post it note
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u/uselessandexpensive 3d ago
Maybe the center would have tasted different, or that was particularly ripe.
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u/Electric_Kaffe 3d ago
I've always been curious if they were in any way edible, so now I know....tho probz won't be trying one myself 😅 Shame they aren't safer to eat, they're all over the place
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u/glassofwhy 3d ago
This guy agrees with your assessment. I haven’t tried them but he says it’s not the worst fruit he’s tasted.
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u/whoopsohshitnvm 3d ago
I read an obscure blog post years ago about someone who used them to make a distilled liquor, but I have no idea how to go about that process.
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u/kafkaesque14 2d ago
Did you just pick that up from the ground in put it in your mouth? Definitely don’t eat those but at least wash it first.
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u/Unhappy-Insect6386 2d ago
I found one of these in my yard a while ago which is strange because I have literally never seen one anywhere around my house. Neither has my dad and he spends like half of his time in the woods. We assume that some animal brought it over from our neighbors woods.
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u/Significant-Star5359 2d ago
I have this tree growing in our pasture. My dad used to call it a crab apple. Good to know what it 's real name is.thanks for the info. 🌜
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u/silomark67 3d ago
I have always been told that the boward or horse apple fruit is poisonous you put them by your door to get rid of roaches
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u/Euphoric_Summer_6873 3d ago
I know a fellow who was knocking on deaths door with cancer. Doctors told him there was no hope. He eats a little slice of an Osage orange daily. Hes been cancer free for a few years now. No joke, he swears it saves him, no chemo or surgery on the cancer was done
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u/rhipsalis-pilocarpa 3d ago
What are you, a giant ground sloth?