Foraging - Natures Food

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I don't think I would fancy them, if they are wild let the birds have them as they are not likely to be very sweet

gailey_2

Growing up in rural wales can remember my dad taking us

strawberrypicking, gooseberries in hedgerow, wild rasberries and blackberries.

Also hazlenuts and chesnuts.

vaugly remember mushroom picking with nan.

keep seeing hugh and co quite smug on rivercottage with their harvest.

Now live on outskirts of city.

have been to pick your own strawberries at local farm
intend to go get those blackberries might have to go back to wales for chesnuits.

would worry about poisening with mushrooms.

see lots of berries but again not sure if they safe to eat.

have nettles in abundance on cyclepath hubby says definate no anything tasty I can do with nettles that wont look like nettles.

we growing small amount of veg in garden.

trying to make stuff for xmas.

wish I could find apple trees.

How does everyone find their stuff.

im sure if tried to take hubby up welsh mountain and got him lost he be none to pleased with me plus its hours drive from home.

saw tree with what looked like tiny oval green apples today more grape like shape.

Having trouble locating elderflower as few that look liek it but dad informs me elderflower is a tree and saw elderberries to is that same plant as elderflower.

Plan to make lots of jams, crumbles and tarts.

Penelope_Penguin

During the year we have elderflower, elderberry, sloe, bramble, rosehips. If we're absolutely confident, we have mushrooms DH also has permission to bag rabbit, hare, pigeon and wild fowl :T

There's an existing thread here with more ideas; I'll add this to that one later to keep ideas together.

charlies-aunt

This year, we will mainly be foraging :

• Brambles - jam, wine, pies
• Elderberries - wine and hm cough linctus
• Elderflowers - Wine
• Nettles and Goosegrass- we have an ancient pony who will happily munch wilted nettles as she is diabetic & isn't allowed grass.
• Sweet chestnuts
• Crabapples and wild apples - preserves
• Sloes - Christmas needs HM Sloe Gin

We normally get wild cherries, rosehips and nuts but after the last long hard winter we think that its only fair to leave those for the squirrels, birds and mice this year

ginnyknit

I heard there was a nut tree in the cemetry but have never managed to find it, so I guess its just blackberries, Im 5 mins from centre of Manchester and though I have wandered never found much. We do have a community garden in the local park and apparently residents can pick what they like, must go and check it out!

Emma1979

So far I have managed to get Garlic mustard ... Use this for salads

Also spotted some Wild Garlic last week whilst myself and DH were walking in the wood, Actually we smelt it before we saw it ... Going to go back and get some so I can have a go at making Wild Garlic soup.

This year we will also be getting..
Blackberries .. To use in pies/crumbles
Damson's ... Jam
Hazel nuts
Apples... Pies/crumbles and apple sauce.

gailey_2

How do I know what some of these things look like as see many berries I dont recognise on trees/bushes.

Its hard when living in city that I dident grow up in as dont know where to find all these things compared to when I was small hubby never foraged all new to him.
Think i need to buy few books and take family on long walks as we very outer suberb with lots of country walks, small villages nearby.

Im going to go mad with blackberries/brambles this year.
Last year noticed a house with apple tree giving away apples for small donation.
bath carboot very good as lots of small farmers selling variety of inseason veg really cheap.

So apart from soup and horsey food anything else nettles good for.
will keep hunting elderflower.
Saw wild garlic on rivercottage not sure where to start looking for it.

angelavdavis

I have recently taken over an allotment plot and the site is surrounded by elderflower bushes and brambles so they are a guaranteed crop for us.

I saw this recipe for nettle pesto which I quite fancied making too as I have some on the plot. Has anyone made it?

Gailey, This is quite a useful site for providing a guide to edible plants with recipes.

Gigervamp

You'd be surprised at what can be found in cities. I grew up in London and we regularly foraged nuts and fruits.

Check out the local parks. A lot of parks have sweet chestnut trees and I remember a park that my nan used to take me to had crab apples. She used to collect those for her jams and jellies, along with blackberries from the nearby common.

There are a load of apple trees along the M4! Shame you can't stop to pick them. I'm guessing those have grown after people have thrown apple cores out of the car window.
The trick is to keep your eyes open. Last year, hubby and I noticed a load of plums on the ground on one of the roads we regularly drive along, so we found a place to park and collected a carrier bag full. I've also noticed that there are a few chestnut trees near there too.

Oh, another place that I noticed a chestnut tree just the other day, is along the edge of our Tesco car park! Never noticed it before because it was in a bit where we've not parked before. I'll be checking that tree out when we go shopping in the autumn!

Richard Mabey's Food for Free is the foragers bible and you can get a Collins Gem version of the book which is small enough to keep in your pocket.

tessie_bear

i want to make nettle soup...i am nurturing a couple of nettles in the garden to make it with..might go looking for more if we like it