Foraging - Natures Food

HariboJunkie

Pazu wrote: »

My aunt was famous for her whortleberry pies. As children my cousins and I were often sent to the hill above the house to spend the afternoon picking berries. We would come home sticky but in happy anticipation. Cousins were keen fly fishermen so we had trout to start with home grown veg and pie and clotted cream, an almost free meal.
In the autumn my mother would gather old man's beard, strip it of leaves and make the base for a wreath. At Christmas my dad would take me to gather holly, ivy and fir. At home he would wire the fir together to make our Christmas tree and plant it in a bucket. My job was to wrap pieces of coal to look like presents to weigh the branches down. We would dress the tree with real candles which were only lit at meal times when they could be kept an eye on. I can remember being gutted when my mother said the government had banned the sale of Christmas candles on safety grounds. I was set to make crepe paper baubles instead. My mother used the holly and ivy to finish the wreath and make garlands with binder twine. Simple days.
Through the seasons I was sent to gather various berries (and still do) to make preserves. I should point out that it is not a free for all and we do not have "rights" to berries. All the hedgerows will belong to someone. As children we knew the local farmers and which hedges we could harvest from, even moorland belongs to someone. When you have spent the day repairing a granite stone wall that tourists have knocked down and your hands are almost bleeding you will understand why farmers don't want strangers on their land. Nowadays I stick to green lanes where we are allowed to walk and if asked not to forage I would respect the farmer's right. As a child I was always taught to "leave some for the birds." Arguements over fair shares are pointless. Who is to say what is fair and why shouldn't people make hedgerow wines? Personally I decide which preserves I am going to make in advance and only pick enough for them. I have several sources for each fruit so try to pick a little from each source. I also have a rule that all sources have to be within walking distance otherwise its not money saving.
Its always been the case with foraging that "the early bird...."

Reading this again this morning and it is such a lovely post. :T

To my mind this is what foraging is all about. We grew up as children being able to forage food from the wild, though as fun rather than for subsistence and my OH and I have taken our children on foraging trips since they were tiny.
It also has the added bonus of teaching them about seasonal living as we too gather greenery and berries to bring inside to celebrate the season changes and we use a great many natural products in our craft projects.
As children they have been taught how to find and recognise many foods in their natural state. The can identify fungi and berries, have gathered mussels off rocks and razor clams from the shore. They can fish for trout and mackerel and know when fruits are ripe and best for eating. Then when we get home they learn to prepare and preserve our cook what we have collected.
I think it's a lovely thing to pass on to children and other adults so well done Churchie on spreading the word.
Hope your pride isn't too sore D&DD. :)

ceridwen

Churchmouse

Then lets hope that this community venture goes well for foodpicking - ie by printing a map in a community journal - and doesnt backfire by a couple of Greedies going in on their own and the complaints soon start from Fair Sharers who have the evidence to prove that a tree they found stripped bare WAS just one person taking the lot.

So - I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that everyone "acts their age and not their shoe size" and does the adult thing most of us have learnt at our mothers knee of how to share fairly.

I think it would be more likely for "fair sharing" to happen if a group is set up specifically to harvest when the time is ripe and the group divides it up that day (with surplus to go to charitable causes - eg old people living nearby - with it being the case that a lot of older people are simply not fit enough to go foraging and this way they wouldnt miss out) and the community journal stated that the food will be gathered on the following occasions and by the group as a whole. That way - it would be easier to do the "social sanctions" of community disapproval if it was found that someone had gone in in advance and grabbed the lot. I would say its better that way personally - rather than finding after the event that this is what has happened because everyone has "done their own thing" and some "did other peoples thing as well:(".

So - personally - I would favour just putting the community gathering dates and a notice making it plain it was going to be gathered "by the community for the community" to try and deter greedy individuals getting in there first and not putting up a map (in order to minimise the risk of the Greedies getting their first and taking everyone else's food - as well as their own).

chrissiethechippy

ceridwen wrote: »

Hi


My point being - its more likely to be "fair sharers" who have learnt this and I would imagine they have already seen so much of "greedy grabbers" that they are unlikely to put any sites they know of up on such websites. So the people most likely to have automatic Internet skills are those most likely to be aware of the risk of "greedy grabbers" taking advantage of their freely given information and therefore wont put it up there.

I can understand that, but I moved here when I was a teenager and I don't know of the good spots that my gran taught me about when I was growing up in my home county.

I'm still learning myself what I can and can't eat, as well as where to find the fruit and nuts. Something which I am learning along with my children. I don't have any family here to ask and a lot of local people I know simply aren't interested or know of anywhere to go (unless they dont want to share!) so the internet will have to do! I would spend hours driving around the New Forest looking for a walnut tree or hazlenut tree, but that isn't always practical with a 3 year old

I did stumble across a blog by a local man who was happy to share a few of his favourite places to forage, but it was an edited version I got enough elderberries yesterday to make some jelly with and had a ball with my daughter picking them! (although we got chewed on by insects, which seem to hurt more today!)

I'm not greedy, by any means, I just want my children to enjoy collecting fruit from where they come from (i.e not in a piece of plastic in a supermarket), for them to be able to eat them as fresh and tasty as they come and for them to help bake with them. And most of which is baked, from what we have access to already, is shared with friends! So pretty selfless reasons behind my interests really!

Gigervamp

There's an article today on Lovefood about the hedgerow harvest, here.

D&DD

Churchie suggested clothes for your first outing would be crash helmet,visor,kneepads..lol just kidding thats just me
Hope you have a great time its amazing the people who stop and chat here who are interested in recipes etc.

Any suggestions on what I can take with me to reach a few of those luscious pears today?? I need one of those nice telescopic picker thingies really *or a small child I can bribe* :rotfl:


Haribo a few sore extremeties but nothing that can't be fixed with a bit of Arnica cream was rather funny tho..OH was just gutted he missed seeing it!

*Chattie*

ceridwen wrote: »

Admits at this point to knowing exactly who will "thank" the above post....

I know I will never be "popular" for saying something that some dont wish to hear...so I'm sorry that I will be unpopular with people with a particular way of thinking...but it needed to be said...and some poor person with a thick (well - I wish it was...but still....) skin had to say it...so I "volunteered" to be the one who made that point....darn it...

....and can we all maybe/hopefully get "back on track" re this thread?:)

I'll thank you in case you feel left out

the thread was on track until you started banging on about Greedy people, Fair sharers and sticking notices on trees all with stupid capitals while you judge everyone you ever come across even while picking blackberries.

I dont think anyone needs your fingers to be crossed for them as Im sure their community doesn't judge others the way you constantly do.

Churchmouse

ceridwen, you obviously live in a totally different kind of area to me. I live in a city, and the area I'm initially interested in is an area of common land adjacent to the main road. It was while driving past that I realised as well as the open scrubby area, there is a largish part covered quite densely with bushes and trees and this got me thinking. I don't know that there is anything to forage there, but it has to worth a look. I need a book for reference since I don't have a clue.

I could not envisage a setup such as you describe. This area would be reasonably close to about 20,000 people. How on earth would any self-appointed group decide who should have its bounty, if there is any bounty to be had? I find that suggestion unrealistic and frankly "not cricket". Obviously there wouldn't be enough to give every resident a portion. My idea is that if I do find there is bounty to be foraged then that information should be spread, so as many people as possible have the opportunity to harvest some. The local magazine I cite is distributed free to over 1400 homes. Most will probably not be interested, but some will. Many like me will probably be unaware where to go etc. If I can get the magazine editor interested I know he'll be up for printing photos, diagrams, location etc. Then others will contribute other local areas, and maybe we can all pick something other than blackberries.

I have faith that the vast majority of people are like me, basically fair and nice and will continue to view my fellows as such until they individually prove otherwise.

Did you find a suitable small child D&DD? lol

annie-c

I think that's a lovely idea Churchmouse, and my guess is that, while you don't yet know it, there will probably be loads of other little foraging areas around town that others will bring to your notice as your project continues. Yes, not everyone will share, but many will respond in a like spirit and your community will be richer for it

On a comical note, I took a detour home tonight to see how the blackberries are coming along. From the car I could see a young man with a HUGE blue bag heading for the woods. I really wanted to honk my horn and shout 'Oi, Greedy Grabber!' out of the window, but obviously he wouldn't have got the joke, and I might reasonably have got a black eye for my troubles....

rachbc

annie-c wrote: »

I think that's a lovely idea Churchmouse, and my guess is that, while you don't yet know it, there will probably be loads of other little foraging areas around town that others will bring to your notice as your project continues. Yes, not everyone will share, but many will respond in a like spirit and your community will be richer for it

On a comical note, I took a detour home tonight to see how the blackberries are coming along. From the car I could see a young man with a HUGE blue bag heading for the woods. I really wanted to honk my horn and shout 'Oi, Greedy Grabber!' out of the window, but obviously he wouldn't have got the joke, and I might reasonably have got a black eye for my troubles....

Love it - I was out with my box this morning when a older lady out with her grand kids saw me and said to them what a lovely idea lets come back later and pick some for a pie - I felt like saying 'I'm a fair sharer - hope you are too'. In fact I said to my daughter 'make sure you leave plenty of those children too' - so hopefully she will have got the hint if she doesn't know 'the code' :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Also saw loads of haws I hadn't noticed til now so am considering haw ketchup!

Churchie - I love your idea and am absolutely certain it will be received in the manner it which it is intended.

Pazu

Hi Guys

Haribo Junkie thank you for your kind words. I was trying to distract from the debate but I think D&DD was more effective.

caz739 I've never made fruit leather (it's me age) but I've googled it and it seems quite straight forward. I'll give it a go and the haw jelly and let you know how I get on.