Foraging - Natures Food

D&DD

AuntieLornieloo which part of Surrey are you in I might be able to help PM if you don't want to post on an open forum

Dying to hear how Churchie got on anyone heard?

Not been able to go today as the garden's exploding so need a day to catch up here..

Splodger thats a lovely offer thankyou even though we're not close enough either :A

re the Elderberries never tasted these before but have loads here what are peoples favourite uses for these?

SoniaJM

Thanks guys - it's just a bit nervewracking starting out!

I see recipes for things that I really want to try - rosehips, sloes, various nuts, elder (berries and flowers) - but when I look at the plants for real I lose the confidence that they match the pictures I've seen. I guess I need to give it a go.

Seakay

I make elderberry chutney, elderberry rob (syrup), hedgerow jam and Pontac's sauce (like Worcestershire sauce although a different taste - ie more for flavouring in cooking)

tiff

splodger_seedswapper wrote: »

i agree that most things are easy enough to identify - but i would not want anybody to pick dwarf elderberry (danewort) by mistake

Thats true and I never knew about the dwarf elderberry, so thanks.

mtggirl

PLEASE be very careful picking wild funghi. Read a case in the Times recently where a group of freinds went foraging - two ended up on kidney dialysis awaiting transplants and from memory i know at least one died, if not two. Can be very rewarding but please do be sure you all know what you're doing.

jackyann

I love Pontac sauce.
Another warning about rose-hip ( I am the generation that used to pick them for 3d a pound!) - they have nasty little hairs inside that irritate the gastro-intestinal tract. Whatever you do with them, strain through a jelly bag and leave them behind!

Is there a countryside centre near you, with Rangers who can help with identification? My dad taught me.

xxfibeexx

Have free reign on y Aged Parentals fruit trees. Eating apples and pears aren't ready yet. Pears look like they will largely be a wash out, lots of apples though, shame they aren't keepers. Something I have just started harvesting this year are their two crab apple trees. Picked what felt like oodles (3kg or 6.6lbs) so have crab apple jelly on the go. Think is we barely touched one of the trees. Does anyone else have any recipes for crab apples? Or if you live in the Plymouth area and fancy a few, let me know.

Pazu

rachbc and Haribo Junkie it was a bit of a knee jerk reaction. I was v angry. Sorry.

Haribo I was sorry to hear you've not been well. No foraging here for a few days also because we have had floods of rain. I had been getting blackberries and crab apples up till then. Sunny today so went to check the bullace, not quite ready yet but I did come back with a bag of rowan berries. I'm making rowan and crab jelly ala H F-W. A first for me. Pam the jam says its outstanding. I had 500g crabs but only 350g rowan. Its all dripping at the moment. Then I made the mistake of googling rowan recipes. Apparently there are good rowan and bad rowan:rotfl:. Typical. Anyway I'll let you know if its any good.

Jackyann I can remember having rosehip seeds put down my back as itching powder!!

Anyone near Salisbury; there are two walnut trees outside Amesbury library, and Wardour woods are full of chestnuts.

aunty_lornieloo

hi D&DD to give you a rough idea, i am somwhere between staines and woking

Churchmouse

D&DD:wave: Well I didn't fall flat on my face anyway Thanks for being interested

My book arrived Friday as promised so yesterday I walked to the said spot under a blue sky, and started to investigate. Felt a little bit silly wandering around, but other than a couple of dog walkers, didn't see anybody else. I definitely identified a couple of sweet chestnut trees, and of course there were masses of blackberries round the edges. I think I found a plum ( it looked very similar to one in our Church grounds ) but it had no fruit on it I could see, so either it's all been picked or I was wrong. Just as I was turning pages and studiously looking around, plip plop a few drops of rain appeared from nowhere, then the heavens opened and I resembled a drowned rat in minutes :eek: It was a squelchy dash home, well more 15 minutes slip sliding about. I'd barely touched one tiny part. I spoke to a neighbour this morning and was telling her, and she says when she was a child they used to get apples up there as well as blackberries for their pies. I have never used crab apples, which I assume is what they were. Do you get enough flesh off them for pie making? I thought they were mainly used for jams/jellies, but then I don't know much Anyway, although she's talking about sixty-odd years ago, it would suggest there may be apples there :j

I can't wait to go back. And reading on the internet it seems even local parkland etc is often planted with fruiting trees. We have lots of those around, so I forecast more happy explorings. Now if I can find more nut trees, I love nuts I have identified that my garden grows masses of Goosegrass, but the description of its eating qualities means it will still be going for compost :cool: :rotfl:

edited to add: glad you're going to staying Pazu, I appreciate your encouragement, and enjoyed your posts