Foraging - Natures Food

nicki_2

ceridwen wrote: »

The more modern books don't tend to mention that - but the writers of them are conscious that Britain is WAY overpopulated and more and more of our countryside and green spaces in urban areas are being built on. The combination of those two factors means more people after foraged food on the one hand and less forageable food available on the other hand. Modern foraging writers often make comments about "You cant have 60 million people all out foraging - theres nothing like enough wild food for that number of people to even have 'tasters' of it". Some people won't see where those sort of remarks are coming from (as they live in rural/low population parts of Britain) - but those of us living in the overpopulated urban areas of Britain nod ruefully in agreement when we read comments like that.

Tell me about it :mad: The only thing I seem to be able to forage is a few blackberries in a local technology park near some railway sidings or a park near my mums/sisters houses. There just doesn't seem to be anything else around here to have! I do get the occasional glut of rhubarb shared my way via my sister/mum but that's not a guaranteed thing.

I'd love to move to somewhere more rural where I could go out mushrooming, gathering fruit & going to farm shops! Even our very local once-a-month farmers market (walking distance) was canceled again this month! Next closest is the town center which isn't exactly convenient OR cheaper, especially after paying bus/train fare to get there!

kimmy1984

hi, there are some trees near where i live with reddish leaves and what appears to be plums growing on them. does anyone know whether these are edible?? thanks

annie123

Anyone who is worried about appearing poor........s*d what anyone else thinks

I have foraged when I was earning a very very good wage, because I always have done since I was little, and now I'm unemployed/housewife and hubby and I are poor in money (but not in spirit:D) and I still do, but maybe look a little bit harder this time

I encounted my sons headmistress and her husband once whilst looking for blackberries, and she was most defiantly not poor.


Today I foraged 2lb of yellow plums from local park and 1 & 1/2 lb of blackberries from 2 gardens down from my sons, 50' of brambles:j
very pleased

Claire_Bear

In some cases I think it's not even a case of being poor but a case of value and not wanting to be ripped off. For example in the supermarkets it would be what, £1.99 for a punnet of blackberries that would have about 15 in it, I just got two big tins full for free and it was less hassle than going to a supermarket as it's two mins walk away from my house. Yet I bet 99% of people living around here would laugh at me and call me scruffy for picking my own. I just think that's city mentality though, in rural areas foraging is more like a way of life and is more accepted whether you're poor or not :rotfl:

Gigervamp

esmf73 wrote: »

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.

River cottage have just brought out a new handbook called Hedgerow or there's the foragers "bible" Food For Free.

Gigervamp

Claire_Bear wrote: »

Got a few questions though -

Can you freeze brambles as they are or would I need to cook them with apples and freeze the mixture? I'm sure I read something about freezing making the juice cells burst?

Also I found a recipe for blackberry infused vodka which would make great Christmas pressies, if I made it now would it keep until then or would it go off? Could I make it with frozen berries nearer the time?

They freeze well uncooked. If I have the space in the freezer, I open freeze them on baking trays, then bag them up. But you can just pop them into tubs or bags and freeze them like that.

I always soak mine in salt water as it gets the wiggly things out. They're on the inside, so just rinsing them doesn't get rid of them. The water does go a bit pink, but you don't lose too much juice.

Fruit vodka/gin/brandy needs to mature, so the longer ahead you make it, the better. Make them now and they should be ready by christmas.

I made cherry vodka last summer and it was still a bit rough at christmas, so I saved it. By this summer though, it was delicious!

gailey_2

Im not worried about being perceived poor its my city boy hubby.
But I grew up in rural wales where foraging was a way of life as kids.
I remeber mushroom picking with nan wouldent dare do that now as im not expert.

I like way hugh/rc calls it natures larder.

My hubby grew up in city and had never been foraging.
Hardly any foragers around us just get odd looks and questions.

I think unless you rural or older generation then maybe its not that common although with recession would have thourght increased in popularity.

Hubbys 8years older and never been, his parents older than mine never took him he grew up in outer city suberb.
Spoke to mil she went foraging as kid.

My mam cant be bothered but sister and dad love it.
mams new mil very oldstyle and elderly still up mountain picking winberries .

No foraging here last few days as hasent stopped raining.

floyd

Gigervamp wrote: »

I've never seen or tasted winberries before. Hubby said that a guy at work used to go picking them when he was a kid, (apparently he and his friends used to fill glass milk bottles with them, then sell them to neighbours!) so I've asked hubby to find out where he went picking them. Wondering if there are any up the Bwlch.

Sorry only just seen this one, we used to go picking winberries up in the hills behind Abersychan off Foundry Road. There were also tons of them up Twmbarlwm behind Newport

parsonswife8

We've got elderberries, crab apples, plums and blackberries growing right near us, waiting for the right time and OH will be out picking them.;)

Opened a bottle of our homemade plum wine on Sunday evening. Let's just say that there is now none left and it was delicious. We both really enjoyed it. Got another 5 bottles. :T:T

He is going to make elderberry wine, blackberry wine and some more plum wine very soon.:j:j

gailey_2

parsonswife8 wrote: »

We've got elderberries, crab apples, plums and blackberries growing right near us, waiting for the right time and OH will be out picking them.;)

Opened a bottle of our homemade plum wine on Sunday evening. Let's just say that there is now none left and it was delicious. We both really enjoyed it. Got another 5 bottles. :T:T

He is going to make elderberry wine, blackberry wine and some more plum wine very soon.:j:j

Do you have a recipie for plum wine at all please.
is it easy and quick.
Got tonnes of plums.