Foraging - Natures Food

rachbc

annie-c wrote: »

Are you talking about your own trees, on your property, or wild ones?

If they are your own trees I'd be very annoyed, but if they are in the wild, I would think that putting up signs would just draw attention to the fact that they are there and might attract even more folk to pick the fruit. I am a fair-share person now, but as a child, a sign like that would have brought out my devillish streak...

Sorry I can't help with the sign, but just wanted to suggest that you might find locations of more trees simply by asking on your local freecycle group. Mine have been great, I've even had people send me edited maps to show where the best fruit is. :T

I have to say a sign would bring out my stroppy hate's being told what to do side too! Love the idea of sharing foraging maps - I know some people are very secretive about the best areas so its lovely that not everyone is - I definately got the sense of everyone sharing and being more than happy to do so in a generous, bountious way at the weekend - was rather heartwarming!

annie-c

rachbc wrote: »

I have to say a sign would bring out my stroppy hate's being told what to do side too! Love the idea of sharing foraging maps - I know some people are very secretive about the best areas so its lovely that not everyone is - I definately got the sense of everyone sharing and being more than happy to do so in a generous, bountious way at the weekend - was rather heartwarming!

I was really surprised that so many people were willing to share. I have personal friends who are less willing to share their favourite sloe picking spots than some of my new freecycling friends. Someone actually copied a google map into paint, and then marked on it the route to go to get sloes, before saving and emailing it to me! :T

ceridwen

So - in other words - I guess what peeps are saying is notices might be counterproductive - and even "fair sharers" might turn "greedy grabber"...:(

annie-c = I understand the "even friends not telling" scenario - as I've found that even friends spend a while assessing me before they decide I can be "trusted" to be told where something is (ie I've been assessed as a "fair sharer"/wont tell others unless and until I've assessed them likewise etc). So - I've been told of various locations by now - but I know the conditions I was told under...

Years back - I would probably have told anyone and everyone - but I've become a lot more "realistic" about human nature since....(ie theres a lot of nice people out there....and a lot of others as well....).

Back to the drawing board then...further brainstorming session....well...it seemed like a good idea at the time to at least assume most people come in the "nice" category/but might not have realised.....DOH!!!!

annie-c

ceridwen wrote: »

"You're welcome to take fruit - but please bear in mind that other people also wish to do so - and only take a fair share"

If it is not your own tree then I just don't think you can seriously extend a 'welcome' or give permission (and by extension, withold permission...) to anyone to pick fruit. Wild trees are just that, and don't belong to anyone. Putting a sign up could just annoy people.

I don't personally think that anyone who picks wild fruit (for food, wine or whatever) is a 'greedy grabber', unless they physically shove other people out of the way in the process....

I also don't get how people could put conditions on sharing information about where to find fruit. That's ludicrous!

There is plenty to go around, if you know where to look, which is why I suggested freecycle to find alternative places to look, if need be.

Mrs_Veg_Plot

morganlefay wrote: »

the hedges round here have been full of cherry plums for some weeks now - they look like that picture - or like big cherries but range from yellow to darkish red. The yellow ones seem to taste nicer than the red. I spent about 1/2 hr in my doctor's car park picking them and have them in fridge to make jam. I've never seen so many though so I think this must be an amazinf year for them. Once I started to notice them I see them everywhere, but for years they were invisible to me !

I agree. I have foraged several pounds in weight of these this year from places I pass regularly but have never noticed them before. Have been out today with DD and picked 4lb of wild plums. We also found a pound coin holder with £4 in it in the hedgerow underneath the tree.

Still have damsons in the freezer from last yeat so might not get any of them this year. Must check with mum to see if I have missed the bilberries in the woods near her house.

annie-c

I'd love to find something other than blackberries locally but I am still very pleased with today's haul.

Someone earlier asked where to find blackberries. Now is the time for a walk on the back lanes and in the woods - they are all around at waist height and ripe for picking!

ceridwen

annie-c wrote: »

If it is not your own tree then I just don't think you can seriously extend a 'welcome' or give permission (and by extension, withold permission...) to anyone to pick fruit. Wild trees are just that, and don't belong to anyone. Putting a sign up could just annoy people.

I don't personally think that anyone who picks wild fruit (for food, wine or whatever) is a 'greedy grabber', unless they physically shove other people out of the way in the process....

I also don't get how people could put conditions on sharing information about where to find fruit. That's ludicrous!

There is plenty to go around, if you know where to look, which is why I suggested freecycle to find alternative places to look, if need be.

I think it very much depends on the area one lives in - and in my own personal case its an area that has the "twin" thing of overpopulated on the one hand and lotsa "greenies" and lotsa "non-greeny - but will grab everything going" on the other hand.

So - areas will vary.

In some - then theres loads and to spare. In others (like mine for instance) then we do have a problem and it is a case of how to resolve it. It will vary - same as allotments...ie in some areas there are ones sitting there overgrown and in others there will be people with more than one allotment whilst others are having to wait literally years to get one in the first place.

It really DOES boil down often to what ones own particular area is like and reasonable people adapt accordingly (even if they are personally sitting there fuming about wishing that other peeps would do more to keep their areas reasonable - rather than just decamping to an area like theirs rather than do the "work" involved to keep their own area reasonable.....).

The "thinking cap" is on and I AM back to the "drawing board" as to how to deal with something that IS a problem to peeps in my own area personally (whilst fully appreciating that peeps in some other areas wont have a clue what I'm on about - because it isnt a problem in their own area personally)......:(

To us personally - in MY own area - it IS a problem and we simply dont know how to deal with it...

annie-c

Thanks to the poster from Rhiwbina who posted while I was away. I will wait til Autumn and follow up on your tip when I am down that way to see family!

sandraroffey

picked more rosehips today, got tons in the freezer waiting for me to have a spare few days to make rosehip and apply jelly. its the yummiest jam in the world. i did make rosehip syrup last year but the grandkids wouldnt touch it, hated it. so i brought it all back home and used it to make jam. i am going to make some rosehips in something alcoholic; rosehip vodka maybe???? all that vit C!!!! grown up rosehip syrup. and ready for christmas too.

cut the hairy bit on the end off and give them a good wash. anything with rosehips in will be going through a double muslin so no probs at all.

annie-c

Rosehip gin? Mmmm, the perfect winter 'medicine'! :T