Plant ID - Ask Extension
Client stopped in with a plant sample. My mom described this plant as "nightshades." She used it to make sauce and pies. Is this the plants she des...
Knowledgebase
Plant ID #600748
Asked October 04, 2019, 9:06 AM EDT
Client stopped in with a plant sample. My mom described this plant as "nightshades." She used it to make sauce and pies. Is this the plants she described? I found it growing in our garden. May I use this to make sauce and pies too?
Lake County South Dakota
Expert Response
Two questions, one easy to answer, the other not so much.
Yes, this is nightshade - there are a few varieties of nightshade, however I can not personally ID this one.
The answer to the second question is that you can cook certain varieties of nightshade, however some are non-poisonous, mildly poisonous and some are very poisonous - and that is why correct ID is very important and should only be done by an expert.
I personally wouldn't risk it, things will go very poorly for you if we get the varieties mixed up.
Additionally - I cant find much from any extension office on how to ID edible varieties, probably for the same reason - if they are mixed up it would be very bad - though there are other resources on the web. I would prefer you link up with someone with experience rather than the internet however.
I should add - if you plan to go forward - make sure the berries are mature. Green ones contain toxins regardless
