Red-Flowering Currant, Ribes Sanguineum

Day 186: I have friends who will tell you that the pale blue fruits of Red-Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) are edible in the sense of "desirable as food," but I would use the word "edible" to describe them more as "something which will not poison you if you eat it." I have tried repeatedly to accustom myself to the taste, really I have, and have only found that the dusty appearance of the berries carries over to the palate in a way that is resistant to coffee, tea, water or Gatorade. That said, the flowers are lovely and the hummingbirds are drawn to them in droves, second only perhaps to the hardy fuchsias which come later in the summer. Still, it seems a pity that in this instance, I must reject Nature's provender when she lays it in such abundance at my doorstep. For me, these native plants must remain in the category of ornamentals. Perhaps I'm not sufficiently hungry.