Are Cabbage Palmetto Seeds Poisonous?

Watching for Fruit Ripeness

• Cabbage palm has many dainty, inconspicuous flowers during the spring and summer months. The flowers are self-fertile and produce dense garlands of fruits by midsummer. In late summer or early autumn, the fruits ripen from bright green to purplish black and swell to roughly 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. When the fruits turn dark and all green on them is gone, then they can be picked and eaten.

Gathering the Fruits

• Unripened or damaged cabbage palm fruits may yield poor-quality seeds. So careful harvesting is important. Gather fruits directly from the tree rather than the ground because fallen fruits may harbor insects, fungi and/or mold. A fruit should be glossy and plump with no bird pecks, fissures or visible mold, and it should be more than 1/2 inch in diameter. Avoid gathering smaller fruits because their seeds may not be formed fully. Ensure each fruit's color is uniform and dark; avoid green fruits because their seeds may be fibrous and oily.

Processing and Preparing the Seeds

• Cabbage palm seeds must be ground and used as flour, although the thin and fleshy fruit surrounding the seeds can be eaten raw. Remove the fruit flesh by scoring it with a knife and peeling it off, by rubbing it with hardware cloth or by running it through a coffee grinder. The flesh can be left in place until it dries, however, and then the entire fruits -- seeds and fruit flesh -- can be ground into flour. Roast the seeds for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, turning them occasionally to ensure even drying. Run the roasted seeds through a grain mill until the resulting flour has a uniform, fine texture. The flour may include unwanted fiber or debris. Remove that fiber or debris by sifting the flour through a sieve and discarding all matter that remains in the sieve and its holes.

Storing the Seeds

• Commercially prepared flour has a relatively low oil content and can be stored safely in a cupboard for long periods of time. Wild-crafted flour such as cabbage palm seed flour, however, can spoil if it is exposed to excess heat and humidity. So it should be stored in a refrigerator or freezer. Also, it stays good longer when stored inside a clean, dry, airtight container such as a sealable freezer bag.