Looking forward to foraging

Poosmate

Thanks for all the links guys, I'm building up a collection of interesting sites in a new folder I've created in my Favourites Folder.

I've never done foraging for food before but would like to have a go this year. Just lacking in confidence that I'm not going to kill myself by picking and eating the wrong stuff!

There are mushrooms literally outside my doorstep but I'm afraid they might be poisonous, I've heard you have to be very careful with mushrooms. I may pick one tomorrow and study it.

Does anyone know if you can make Sloe cordial rather than gin? I rarely drink as I'm always driving! and gin is not my tipple of choice anyway, I'm a Bacardi girl. Well, I was a Bacardi girl! lol

Thanks again all

Poo

TravellingAbuela

Welcome to the world of foraging Poosmate! Here is a link to all things sloe connected, including a recipe for Sloe Cordial http://www.sloe.biz/pip/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=284. When picking sloes just watch out for the thorns (they grow on a Blackthorn bush) I swear they attack you on purpose!

Gefjun

Hi everyone,

Mind if I join you?

I broke my foraging virginity yesterday with my DH and we were rather pleased with our first haul. We got 2 big bagfuls of apples (plus another 3 trees spotted for a couple of weeks time), some yellow plums (about the size of Victoria plums and the long 'plum' type shape, they tasted ok but as yet unable to identify them - any ideas anyone?) and some blackberries. I also picked a mushroom which looked like a closed cap like you buy in the supermarket, but because I'm pregnant, DH made me discard it to be on the safe side. We also saw some dark plums which must have been damsons as they didn't turn my face inside out when I tasted it (so couldn't have been sloes), but most of them were on the ground and past saving. Still, we know for next year!

Well done everyone on your finds. We're very pleased with ourselves, but I've now diddled myself out of some fruit trees for the garden :mad:. Still, I think DH will let me get ones where we can't find the fruit locally and free :rotfl:

Gefjun

Poosmate wrote: »

I've never done foraging for food before but would like to have a go this year. Just lacking in confidence that I'm not going to kill myself by picking and eating the wrong stuff!

Hi Poosmate,

We followed the survival technique of seeing if food was safe - sight, smell, touch, taste. If everything seems ok when you get to the taste bit, just touch it to your lips to see if you get a reaction. If not, then you're probably ok to eat it. Generally, it looks like something you'd eat anyway (like plums and other stone fruits). Alternatively, there are probably books at Amazon on foraging which have lots of pictures, or when you're out, just get a sample and take it home to identify it.

I know what you mean about lacking confidence, hence I've never made preserves, jams, pickles or homebrew, although would love to!

Best of luck with the foraging,
Gefjun x

buddys_mum

Gefjun wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Mind if I join you?

I broke my foraging virginity yesterday with my DH and we were rather pleased with our first haul. We got 2 big bagfuls of apples (plus another 3 trees spotted for a couple of weeks time), some yellow plums (about the size of Victoria plums and the long 'plum' type shape, they tasted ok but as yet unable to identify them - any ideas anyone?) and some blackberries. I also picked a mushroom which looked like a closed cap like you buy in the supermarket, but because I'm pregnant, DH made me discard it to be on the safe side. We also saw some dark plums which must have been damsons as they didn't turn my face inside out when I tasted it (so couldn't have been sloes), but most of them were on the ground and past saving. Still, we know for next year!

Well done everyone on your finds. We're very pleased with ourselves, but I've now diddled myself out of some fruit trees for the garden :mad:. Still, I think DH will let me get ones where we can't find the fruit locally and free :rotfl:

Welcome Gefjun

Maybe what you picked was greengages?

Well done for starting to forage. So much fruit and nuts are out there and most of it gets wasted. Enjoy the fruits of your labour and the fresh air.


I only ever pick field mushrooms and i had a couple of puffballs this year too. (dont freeze puffballs as the go off!)

angie_baby

Hi all,

went blackberry picking yesterday and found some other berries, didnt pick them as i didnt know what they were but they were around the size of blueberries and the same colour but when i squished one it was yellow inside with a large pip. there were loads and my discription probaly doesnt help, any ideas?

thanks

Angie

reddyman

Is it just me or are the blackberries smaller this year? I've seen loads of fully ripe ones which are really small...

Or is it still early and the big ones will come later?

diluvsdiscounts

Can anyone tell me about when hazelnuts are ready for picking.We went today but they were all still green but the first one I picked was a real beauty so I brought it home to see if it goes brown once picked. Anyhow I looked at it before and it could be my imagination but I'm sure it's starting to go brown.
So my question is do you only pick them once they look like a hazelnut in a christmas bag of nuts,please excuse my ignorance I'm quite new to foraging!!

Poosmate

reddyman wrote: »

Is it just me or are the blackberries smaller this year? I've seen loads of fully ripe ones which are really small...

Or is it still early and the big ones will come later?

There is a recession on you know! lol:rotfl:

Poosmate

Hi all,

TA thanks for the welcome and the link (another to add to my Favourites). I'll be careful of the pri.... er.... thorns, thanks.

Gefjun, congrats on breaking your duck and well done on finding free fruit trees Just think, you can grow some other free food in the places where you were going to put the trees now! Double Yay! Thanks for the advice on surviving, I forgot to pick a mushroom earlier, I think I'll go and pick one now.

Buddy's Mum, I'd love to find some puffballs, I think they're fascinating! I've only seen them on River Cottage though. A friend of mine said he's got some "Chicken of the Wood" so I might try to get him to bring some in for me. Not sure what I'd do with it though, I feel a google coming on! Mind you, I think he has it growing on a dead elm tree which we found out today sounds like it's infected with the beetle that causes Dutch elm disease so does anyone know if it would be safe to eat? I mean, foraging for fruit n stuff is one thing but I don't think I'm ready for beetles and witchity grubs!

Angie Baby, sorry can't help you, I am newer than a novice! lol

DLD, thanks for asking that, I have so much to learn and I love hazelnuts.

Thanks all

Poo