Foraging - Natures Food

Gigervamp

mirry wrote: »

does anyone eat crab apples ?

Not raw. They're very sharp if I remember correctly from when I was a child. But they make good jelly.

katholicos

Seems i've got my mum and daughter into foraging a bit too...just had a phone call from DD who has spent the weekend with my parents, she says they will be bringing a bag of pears home that they foraged. Yay for Pear chutney!

ceridwen

:mad: So far this year - I've got a few blackberries- - and was due to get some mahonia berries (but couldnt - as the bushes had been stripped bare by someone else). I went looking at a plum tree recently to see how the fruit was getting on - having spotted it coming on okay a few weeks back - and it had all gone (every last one:mad:). A "normal" forager I spotted nearby (ie someone who knows the "foraging code" of leaving plenty for other people as well - its laid down in some places as not being more than one-third of what is there..) told me that it might have been some children. Reason - he had been asked the previous year by a group of children to help them take damsons from nearby trees - and they had been after (and taken) the lot!!! So - I let him know that I was coming back in a couple of weeks to see how those damsons were and that I would be taking some (ie a normal amount) of them then - so that he knows not to help those children take the lot if they come back this year. I suspect they were the ones taking every last plum from the other tree!

In another location - I went looking to see if some apples were ready on a tree I know. They are - I can see them all intact on the higher branches - but every last one has been taken from the lower branches and there was none left for anyone else.

So - disappointing pickings so far. What is more disappointing is knowing how many greedy people are around - I find that very depressing (and in the current economic climate - its also rather worrying - as one wonders whether it will turn into "survival of the greedy" - which doesnt bode well for those of us who try not to be). I'm well aware that if there is competition for scarce resources in time to come that "hard" people "with their elbows out" will stand a much better chance of survival than those of us who were brought up to "play by the rules"...depressed....depressed....and don't rate my own chances if that happened...

I was looking round a supermarket I hadnt been to before yesterday with my mother - and I only wanted to just take a look at the reductions shelf out of interest to see what price levels they charge for them (thought it must be LOW - as so many people were clustered nearby waiting...) and got told firmly by my mother that I wasnt to do so - with the comment "YOU don't need to...THEY do". I wouldnt have dared "disobey" my mother - she can be a fearsome lady if she wants to:rotfl::rotfl: - but I got the message that I can afford to pay more, so I must leave those reductions for those who cant.... (My mother, on the other hand, thought it was her birthday - seeing the low prices on the goods on the ordinary shelves and emerged with a basketful.....)

yep - I got brought up to not take more than I need of anything. Greed wasnt allowed...so its depressing looking at those missing mahonia berries and plums and apples I wanted and knowing that a lot of other people obviously werent...:(

:mad::(:mad::(:mad::(

Sorrees for a bit of a rant....goes off muttering "Some people........"

esmf73

This thread looks great - sorry I can't read all of it as I'm waiting for the removal van to turn up - will come back later. One thing I was wondering though - is there a book that I can buy for a friend of mine that will tell her and her kids what is safe to forage and eat and what shouldn't be eaten?

Thanks very much.

knithryn

Thought I'd join in.
So far this year (our first season of foraging) we have elderflower wine on the go, nettle wine on the go and a bag of whinberries in the freezer. We've identified good spots for blackberries, but no sign of the mythical sloe tree that a neighbour claimed was in a particular area 20 years ago.
When I get a friend to get sloes from her parents' lane I will make her sloe gin as a present/thanks, and make more for Christmas presents.
I'll probably also make jellies etc as presents. With luck I might be able to make most of the Chirstmas presents for family and friends.
We're still new to this, but having a go.

gailey_2

ceridwen wrote: »

:mad: So far this year - I've got a few blackberries- - and was due to get some mahonia berries (but couldnt - as the bushes had been stripped bare by someone else). I went looking at a plum tree recently to see how the fruit was getting on - having spotted it coming on okay a few weeks back - and it had all gone (every last one:mad:). A "normal" forager I spotted nearby (ie someone who knows the "foraging code" of leaving plenty for other people as well - its laid down in some places as not being more than one-third of what is there..) told me that it might have been some children. Reason - he had been asked the previous year by a group of children to help them take damsons from nearby trees - and they had been after (and taken) the lot!!! So - I let him know that I was coming back in a couple of weeks to see how those damsons were and that I would be taking some (ie a normal amount) of them then - so that he knows not to help those children take the lot if they come back this year. I suspect they were the ones taking every last plum from the other tree!

In another location - I went looking to see if some apples were ready on a tree I know. They are - I can see them all intact on the higher branches - but every last one has been taken from the lower branches and there was none left for anyone else.

So - disappointing pickings so far. What is more disappointing is knowing how many greedy people are around - I find that very depressing (and in the current economic climate - its also rather worrying - as one wonders whether it will turn into "survival of the greedy" - which doesnt bode well for those of us who try not to be). I'm well aware that if there is competition for scarce resources in time to come that "hard" people "with their elbows out" will stand a much better chance of survival than those of us who were brought up to "play by the rules"...depressed....depressed....and don't rate my own chances if that happened...

I was looking round a supermarket I hadnt been to before yesterday with my mother - and I only wanted to just take a look at the reductions shelf out of interest to see what price levels they charge for them (thought it must be LOW - as so many people were clustered nearby waiting...) and got told firmly by my mother that I wasnt to do so - with the comment "YOU don't need to...THEY do". I wouldnt have dared "disobey" my mother - she can be a fearsome lady if she wants to:rotfl::rotfl: - but I got the message that I can afford to pay more, so I must leave those reductions for those who cant.... (My mother, on the other hand, thought it was her birthday - seeing the low prices on the goods on the ordinary shelves and emerged with a basketful.....)

yep - I got brought up to not take more than I need of anything. Greed wasnt allowed...so its depressing looking at those missing mahonia berries and plums and apples I wanted and knowing that a lot of other people obviously werent...:(

:mad::(:mad::(:mad::(

Sorrees for a bit of a rant....goes off muttering "Some people........"

Thats awful theres nothing but dont give up hope im finding new spots all time this year by wnadering down random lanes and paths never been down before even trees on outeredge of large park so one seems to touch.
Maybe if visiting freind or family check out their area.

Blackberries seems to be in abundance everywhere so i take bag/tub wit me all times now as found in church carpark, pub carpark, went to park in different area with kids picked couple there.Round the edge of skate park has tonnes they grow in most unlikly places.

There are very few foragers here only seen 3maybe 4people pick plums ones my next door neighbour.
Outside primary we drove past and hubby said whys that woman in bush with litter picker I said must be something in there its greengage plums.

Noticed the greengage onhedge on our main road discussed with neighbour she told em where 2plum trees were on dog walk path so i went there just as well as council hacked to death the hedge really bad was quite sad about the waste.
Anyway took good look the other day andcould see hdege other side on dead end within our estate tonnes of plums 5mins from my house opposite row of houses but untouched is bit mad if you live opposite you wouldent pick any.

Since then through going through random feild found apple tree and another type of damson plum.
Yesterday when going down lane spotted another plum tree and got strange looks when picking.

A couple of people picked the cherries , a couple stopped me and asked me why I was picking them even when said was edible they doubted me when they blatently were cherries.

Lots of hazlenuts to look foward to and occasional chesnut I hope.
No one seems to be touching crabapples, sloes or rosehips.
Im not sure if its just my area.

Its weird kids would pick so much as they usually quite fussy and weary of fruit.
I always leave stuff on as always too much plus birds need some too.

I advise to go new areas and start exploring.
If you lived closer you could of had some of mine.

If i was in supermarket with mum I would have rifled through reduced hubby always leaves that honour to me but most of time especially chilled stuff its either hardly any money off or bit worse for wear and sometimes you have to fight your way to it.

mirry

Last night I made apple crumbles with the
blackberries and crab apples and they turned out amazing :T.

I stewed the apples down with sugar and cinnamon , and will be going back for more .

Love this thread.

Angelfeathers

Sorry if it's been posted on here already but I did a quick check - if anyone can't get to Farmfoods for the 2kg for £1 sugar, Asda have 1kg bags of sugar reduced to 68p, which makes them not that much more expensive (and cheaper than their 2kg bags).

I bought six, in preparation for when the blackberries are actually ripe here - I'm very jealous of everyone who seems to be harvesting loads already! They're all still very small and green here, despite the months of lovely sunny weather. I wonder if perhaps it's been too dry for them?

gailey_2

Do most people use normal sugar then or jam sugar.

I wish blackberries were not ready as finding it hard to find time to pick it all , cherries only lasted a few weeks.

Angelfeathers

I bought pectin from Asda too - it was cheaper than buying jam sugar. :-)

But you don't need extra pectin for all fruits as some of them have enough. Didn't someone post a list somewhere of which were high and low in pectin?