So, the "Schwartzbeeren" you guys have been talking about is not the "Blackberry" that I could buy in any American grocery store, but those little round black berries that grow on the nightshade plant? We had Nightshade growing in our Northern Illinois yard when I was a kid. I always wondered why people said it was poisonous because I ate a lot of the berries when I was a kid with no ill effects. We must have had the non-poisonous variety you have been talking about. We didn't make them into jam, though, as we did with all of the other bush and tree fruits that we grew. They were a weed as far as my father (the child of GV immigrants) was concerned! -----Original Message----- >From: frank jacobs <fjacobs@cox.net> >Sent: Aug 11, 2007 11:21 PM >To: Thelma Mills <thelma.mills@gmail.com>, List <Ger-Volga-L@rootsweb.com> >Cc: ger-volga@rootsweb.com >Subject: Re: [GV] Question on GV crops > >I've always been interested in the ways culture, customs and traditions >disseminate among various >peoples. The Swartzberren , the European black nightshade , as contrasted >with the toxic American nightshade, >was populated all over Ellis County , Kansas between the various VG >colonies. I spent a summer in high school >working for the City of Hays Public works dept, among other things watering >and fertilizing the pubic park trees. >There was alway a prolific crop of swartzberren and volunteer tomatos where >ever the city tended the trees. > >I had a theory where they originated, but just speculation. Perhaps >somebody has a more specific source. > >I sent some Ellis County seeds to a lady on the list in California, whose >family came from Nebraska and originally >from the Paulskoje VG village. She knew the plant well. What caught my >interest was that my Obermonjou >Klaus family was forced to winter over in her ancestoral village when >they first arrived in Russia. > Kuhlberg noted, They arrived at the Volga on Aug 17, 1766, and were >temporarily, until spring >1768, settled in Paulskaja colony. I am not making any claim of >introduction to Kansas of the swartzberren, >only noting that two seperate colonists whose ancestors crossed paths over >200 years ago in Russia picked up > the cultivation of this partricular crop. They had little or no contact >later, and were in different states, with > different religous associations yet had the common cultivation. >Speculation is that they were exposed to the > crop in Russia, either at a common location or in the general region. > >Frank Jacobs > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Thelma Mills" <thelma.mills@gmail.com> >To: "Marven C Weitzel" <marvenw@juno.com> >Cc: <ger-volga@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2007 9:29 AM >Subject: Re: [GV] Question on GV crops > > >> Hello - on this same subject - where did swatchberra come from? Did our >> people bring them from Russia? I have been trying to find some to eat with >> knebble because I am so hungry for them, but when asking on the radio Swap >> Shop, I never received an answer from anyone. I think the season is just >> about over now. Thelma Mills >> >> >> >> http://www.mariental-louis.com/ >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message