Foraging - Natures Food

HariboJunkie

Churchmouse wrote: »

Serious question, can someone please answer. What exactly is a professional forager? Is it someone who does it for a living, ie makes money from it, or is totally self sufficient from it?

My understanding is that it is someone who gets paid to do it and to teach it to others but I have been known to be wrong.:p Up here, where we have such an abundance of foragable food and some of the finest fungi in the world, I have yet to come across any professional foragers but I think they are common in the south of England.:)

Tru may be able to recommend one decent book Churchie as she knows her stuff. I have about 10 mushroom books alone and use them for cross referencing to begin with. Once you know what you're doing with mushrooms it's hard to go wrong. I still recommend "Food for Free" as it's so handy to keep in your handbag or glove compartment and although small it's definitely concise. The River Cottage collection is pretty good too though I've only looked at it in bookshops.

Pazu

Has anybody made H F-W's haw ketchup? I've never found anything worthwhile to do with haws. All skin and pip! Its a shame because they look as if they should be good. I don't want to spend hours shoving the stuff through a sieve only to find its inedible lol.

Churchmouse

Thanks Haribo, it's been ordered from Amazon on Prime, will be with me Friday Just in time for weekend foraging. Then I'll go to some common land very near me and see what I can identify. The magazine could then print a map with locations on it Oooh I'm getting all excited :rotfl: Edited to add that's Food for Free at £3.20, not the River Cottage collection!!

That makes sense about the professional foragers. I hadn't thought about having people teach the skills. Seems that would be mostly for well-heeled folk who could afford the lessons. No good for the ordinary person. I live in the affluent south of England, but am obviously too poor to have encountered such

Pazu

Church mouse have a lovely weekend. You will be fine. Foraging doesn't need to be taught. Just do lots of walking and looking. Use the book for anything you are unsure of.

Gigervamp

Pazu wrote: »

Has anybody made H F-W's haw ketchup? I've never found anything worthwhile to do with haws. All skin and pip! Its a shame because they look as if they should be good. I don't want to spend hours shoving the stuff through a sieve only to find its inedible lol.

I've been wondering about haws as they're the most abundant foraging food around our way.

HariboJunkie

Pazu wrote: »

Has anybody made H F-W's haw ketchup? I've never found anything worthwhile to do with haws. All skin and pip! Its a shame because they look as if they should be good. I don't want to spend hours shoving the stuff through a sieve only to find its inedible lol.

I haven't tried that one but might give it a go. My garden is full of haws. I tend to make hawthorn jelly and sometimes add elderberries to it for a bit of extra flavour. It's lovely with cold gammon.

tru

I've got the River Cottage handbooks, they're fab. I've met John Wright twice, he's about as professional as it gets when it comes to foraging IMO. He was happy to chat and give advice (I had loads of questions ) and he didn't once mention any sort of limit on what he thinks should be foraged

caz739

I saw recently a river cottage food bite. The man on it made haw and crab apple leather, which looked really tasty :j

D&DD

On a lighter note

I was so busy rubbernecking at some luscious red pears high up in a tree on the common today,the dog pulled me and I ended up face first in a ditch while hubby was trying to scale the tree and nearly ended up in a bramble bush :rotfl:

I promptly dusted myself off while looking round to make sure no-one had seen me make a t*t of myself

Churchmouse

Thanks DD&D for this unintended warning :rotfl: I shall try to deport myself with a little more dignity on my weekend foraging debut :D

Sorry D&DD, got your Ds all confused lol