Comments on: Urban Foraging: Ginkgoes http://www.goodeater.org/2009/11/09/urban-foraging-ginkgoes/ Professional Voices on Sustainable Food Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:23:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: JC http://www.goodeater.org/2009/11/09/urban-foraging-ginkgoes/comment-page-1/#comment-88 JC Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:57:57 +0000 http://www.goodeater.org/?p=513#comment-88 After a few days of staring at the female ginkgo tree that's along my daily walk, I muscled up the courage, gloves, and plastic bags. The flesh was fragrant enough in the well-ventilated outdoors, so I squeezed the seeds out from the fruit before putting them in my bag. Even after thorough washing, my roommates kept asking about the awful smell. Desperate that someone would "lose" the bag before I had time to roast the seeds, I dumped them in a bowl with some water and plenty of baking soda. The chemical magic that resulted could have won a third grade science fair. Next time I'll have the baking soda at the ready as soon as I get home. After a few days of staring at the female ginkgo tree that’s along my daily walk, I muscled up the courage, gloves, and plastic bags. The flesh was fragrant enough in the well-ventilated outdoors, so I squeezed the seeds out from the fruit before putting them in my bag. Even after thorough washing, my roommates kept asking about the awful smell. Desperate that someone would “lose” the bag before I had time to roast the seeds, I dumped them in a bowl with some water and plenty of baking soda. The chemical magic that resulted could have won a third grade science fair. Next time I’ll have the baking soda at the ready as soon as I get home.

]]> By: Aya http://www.goodeater.org/2009/11/09/urban-foraging-ginkgoes/comment-page-1/#comment-74 Aya Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:40:54 +0000 http://www.goodeater.org/?p=513#comment-74 I find that they smell more like vomit than feces to me. DEFINITELY wear gloves. Gingkoes can cause a contact dermatitis that's very similar to poison ivy, especially in people who are allergic to things like poison ivy, mangoes etc. I unfortunately once passed a tree with particularly large fruit (and if you find such a tree, don't tell anyone! Bigger is better!), and not having suitable protection for my hands, picked up a bunch of nuts. A day or two later, my hands were absolutely fine, but my mucous membranes were a disaster. I had a poisonivy like rash that covered my face like a raccoon mask, and I was extraordinarily swollen and itchy in my other mucous membranes, you know, down below. It was AWFUL!! And it lasted about 2 weeks. I barely got any sleep. WEAR GLOVES UNTIL YOU'VE WASHED ALL THE FLESH OFF THE SEEDS! I can't stress that enough!!!!!!!!!! I find that they smell more like vomit than feces to me.

DEFINITELY wear gloves. Gingkoes can cause a contact dermatitis that’s very similar to poison ivy, especially in people who are allergic to things like poison ivy, mangoes etc.
I unfortunately once passed a tree with particularly large fruit (and if you find such a tree, don’t tell anyone! Bigger is better!), and not having suitable protection for my hands, picked up a bunch of nuts. A day or two later, my hands were absolutely fine, but my mucous membranes were a disaster. I had a poisonivy like rash that covered my face like a raccoon mask, and I was extraordinarily swollen and itchy in my other mucous membranes, you know, down below. It was AWFUL!! And it lasted about 2 weeks. I barely got any sleep.

WEAR GLOVES UNTIL YOU’VE WASHED ALL THE FLESH OFF THE SEEDS! I can’t stress that enough!!!!!!!!!!

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