Free Food

Churchmouse

mirakl wrote:

Other free foods
random tins of stuff my mother impulse bought and is afraid to cook
random fruits and veg my mother impulse bought and is afraid to cook
random meats and fish my mother impulse bought and is afraid to cook
random alcohol my mother impulse bought and is afraid to drink

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I'm jealous!

troll35

SusanCarter - I don't think you will find bilberries anwhere other than moors. They grow on peat soils and I can't think of anywhere other than the moors that are peat.

demented_2

Agutka wrote:

Are hazelnuts ready now? I have lots of these trees in my park, but I reckon if the squirells haven't decimated the crop yet, then they are not ripe yet...

And what do you do with them? Roast in the oven? And end up with shop bought type nuts? I have no idea...

I was thinking the same thing as i have found alot of them growing near where i live, There are some walnuts as well, still green but someone said
that you can pickle them at this stage. Has anyone pickled them and if they have how?

researcher

I love pickled walnuts - I don't have a recipe - but I have a brilliant one for mustard pickled courgettes :rotfl:

researcher

These looks quite good ones with lots of explanations

http://www.davidgregory.org/pickled_walnuts.htm

or

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/13650/pickled-walnuts.html

lastly

http://www.abc.net.au/southeastsa/stories/s877425.htm

Between these you get a good idea of the method, and could choose what type of pickling liquid to use.

(ps can I have some too!!!)

Agutka

Nope, hazelnuts not ready yet... Tried some and either empty of very small amount of 'meat', which I ate anyway! On a brighter note I found a plum tree in the park and am observing it for signs of ripening...

I used to have lots of gorgeous raspberry bushes in my park, where I got many a harvest for two years (late fruiting variety), but some clever so and so decided it would be better to mow them all down - a year on they are growing again, but fruit only appear on second year plants, so nothing so far... Thankfully I rescued a stem or two and get to pig out in my own garden.

rubytuesday

troll35 wrote:

The best blackberrying places near us are old graveyards. Must be something to do with the fertilizer:) I would imagine with all this glorious sun they may well be ready for picking a bit earlier than usual this year. I will be checking them out from mid august.

I already have some ripe blackberries in my garden and also noticed them along the canal the other day.

Stratford_Bill

In the Scottish Highlands bilberries (blaeberries) grow in a superabundance, and it helps to find a way (like Ray Mears's Siberian swinging basket) or a fork or something to pick them fast.

Beechmast is edible.

Also edible are lime tree leaves. (Be careful that it is actually a lime tree, and not a hazel tree.)

Don't forget the dandelion. The leaves are edible raw, and the roots can be roasted to make coffee.

If you want to pick mushrooms, I would advise you to go out with an expert who can show you what you can eat and what you can't. The death cap (yes, it will kill you, and there is no antidote), although it comes out at a different time of year, does not look too unlike a field mushroom.

When picking shellfish look out for sewage discharge sites. If you see one, pick your shelfish elsewhere.

Dock leaves are edible, as are cooked nettles, which can be treated like spinach. Fat hen (aka Good King Henry) can also be eaten.

You may be disappointed when going on foraging expeditions. Not everything grows everywhere in Britain. For example, real marshmallows (edible) grow only in certain parts of the country.

Another way to get free food is to get yourself invited to dinner.

There are a number of books on the subject. richard Mabey's Food For Free is mentioned. Also books by Ray Mears and Lofty Wiseman on survival techniques are packed with advice about living off the land. Also good are books by Hugh Fearnley-Whittin....I forget his name - the guy that does that river cottage thing.

pickledtink

Ground Elder, that much loathed garden weed is edible. It was originally introduced by the Romans who brought it over as a kitchen garden plant.
Only pick the young bright green leaves and use them in a mixed leaf salad or cook and use like spinach. Fine in quiche etc.
Nasturtium buds can be pickled to make home made capers.
Loads of wild growing medicinal herbs can be dried to make herbal teas. These days you wouldn't even have to buy a book just google.

thriftmonster

Rowanberries also make nice jelly especially when mixed with windfall apples. They appear everywhere as they are often used in suburban roads for decoration.

Also my Mum used to get free quinces from her neighbour as they grew them for decoration.

Nother great book is "Living in a Wild Garden" by Roger Banks although it might be out of print now - I got my copy nearly 30 years ago. Fantastic pictures to aid identification.