Foraging - Natures Food

geordie_joe

Norman_Bean wrote: »

I'm also going to investigate if acorns can be used

If you check out beautiful_ravens's link you will find a page on acorns.

Penelope_Penguin

As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add it ot the existing foraging thread to give you more ideas

Penny. x

ALIBOBSY

brownhandbag wrote: »

lots of crab apples in the hedgerows. Easy to spot as just look like little apples

We found some called "john Dowie" crabapples which we id'd from the internet. They look a bit like rosehips, but have the apple core "star" shape inside and are definately appley.

Unfortunately by the time we got back to pick them alot had fallen off the trees, but managed some crabapple jelly which came out a lovely pink colour. Trouble is the kids love it so much they eat it with a spoon so doubt any will get to crimbo. Now we know the "secret spot", its way off the beaten track and public land off a footpath. We should be able to get loads next year.

Got some of the last damsons so jelly making for me this week. OH did the picking and threw in a few crab apples and last blackberries and even some bullaces so think it will be Damson hedgerow jelly lol.

ali x

SusanC_2

ceridwen wrote: »

A step-by-step guide to how you "can" apple sauce with no sugar would be very much appreciated purlease. Certainly - thats the biggest item I can see me personally wanting to preserve - so that would be very much appreciated please.

I'm also looking to "can" plums/cherry plums/elderberries/rhubarb/blackberries too - so am hoping the same method would work for them as well....

I've done rhubarb just by cooking it and putting it in hot sterilised jars. "Officially" you're not supposed to do it like that but I figured that it is acidic enough to be okay.

Seakay

Foraged some nettle tips this week, inspired by an article in my MIL's colour supplement. They are really tender at the moment and only need 1.5 - 2 minutes cooking in boiling water (after thorough washing, 3 changes of water for me).
They don't need chopping as the tips are not at all stringy at this time of year.
The supplement recipe added the blanched and drained tops to scrambled eggs and I did this and found them delicious - just add a little salt and pepper and a grating of nutmeg and serve on buttered toast.
I've also had then with pasta - add them for the last 2 mins of cooking, drain all together and then return to the pan on the still hot hob but with the power off and add a little tomato sauce (stored in pop top sterilised jam jars from last years garden produce) stir to warm it in the residual heat and serve. Yummy! And a frugal one pot meal.

furndire

Food For Free by Richard Maby £4.99 at play.com at the moment & free p&p

giantmutantbroccoli

I finally realised I can combine three of my favourite things - experimenting with food, walking in the countryside and getting stuff for free I'm going to try foraging properly for the first time this weekend and was wondering if anyone on here has any tips? What have you eaten? What have you found? What did you make with it afterwards?

I've gathered and cooked wild food before but I've never gone out specifically to find food. I'm actually pretty excited. Tomorrow is Epic Cooking Day and I need some ingredients! On previous occaisions I've used weeds found in my garden to make dandelion bhajis (delicious!), nettle soup (also delicious!), nettle stirfry (would be delicious if I knew how to get rid of the little nettle hairs) and hawthorn and cheese sandwiches (pretty good for a sandwich).

I'm going to visit the local glen, a fabulous bit of countryside, and a quick google just brought up loads of pictures of wild garlic and funghi and the like that people have found there. Yum! Unfortunatly I don't have a guide to funghi at the moment so I won't be picking anything exotic. If I'm lucky enough to find some field mushrooms, or oyster mushrooms (yeah right) I'll grab 'em. Maybe a giant puffball. I know enough not to take anything that I don't recognise, better safe than sorry.

Mostly I'm on the look out for veggies. Again I don't have a book guide, and sadly no printer either so unless I take my laptop I'll have to rely on the things I know for certain are edible. Although I might take samples of things I'm not sure about to check up when I get home.
Mostly I think this limits me to the obvious - wild garlic, dandelions, nettles, russian comfrey (I'm sure I saw some last time I was there), hawthorn, dead nettle and the like. I've heard balsam seeds and cooked, young leaves are good eating too so I'll definitely try that. Anyone got any ideas for what else I can expect to find there?
And while we're ont he subject, could anyone reccommend a good book on edible wild plants? I don't need a recipe book, just something to help me identify them.

Norman_Bean

I tried to find wild garlic this morning but think I'm a bit early - found some edible dandilion leaves and some 'manche' salady type stuff (don't know what it's called in English.

Not sure what else there is about at the moment

Keep us posted x

Norman x

wigglebeena

Be careful with wild fennel. It looks just like some nasty toxic plants.

wigglebeena

They probably don't want you picking it, but Bolton Abbey is carpeted with wild garlic. You can smell it miles away at the right time of year.