Free Food in September

crazyterrier2000

Been out today in the woods and was surprised at the free food available, chanterelle mushrooms were fried for the supper (please don't pick unless you are 100% sure), late rasberries & early blackberries in abundance, blueberries that tasted amazing, & nothing like supermarket ones.

On the way home passed an Old People's Home, and noticed an overhanging apple tree, was going to just take some when I noticed they had 7 different apple trees, so knocked on the door and asked if they if it was ok to take some, and they said to help yourself, they did not use them, tomorrow apple & blackberry pie.

Object of the story, its all free & growing in OUR countryside.

Is there any other free foods that we can pick!

Ps The kids fell asleep at 19:30, with the dog.

jenniewb

Yes but if you live in London its not the same I wouldn't chance the trees with fruit on around where I live (there are only a few of them) either they belong to someone or they live in the roadside and I worry about the pollution they breathe and grow in.

And no, I don't have a car to drive into the countryside (if I could afford a car driving lessons and a license, I doubt I'd be looking for free food lol!).... but if you, sounds like a nice family day out.

jenniewb

BTW, this is whats growing now, curtosy of http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/:

[SIZE=-1][SIZE=-1]artichoke
aubergine
beetroot
broad beans
broccoli
carrots
chillies
courgettes
cucumber
fennel
french beans
garlic
kohlrabi
leeks
lettuces & salad leaves
mangetout
marrow
onions
pak choi
peppers
potatoes (maincrop)
radishes
rocket
runner beans
sweetcorn
watercress
[/SIZE][/SIZE]__________
[SIZE=-1]blackberries
blueberries
damsons
figs
grapes
loganberries
melons
nectarines
peaches
pears
plums
raspberries
tomatoes
__________ [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]basil
chives
oregano
mint
parsley (curly)
parsley (flat leaf)
rosemary
sage
sorrel
thyme [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][SIZE=-1]celery
peas
spinach
spring onions
turnips
wild nettles
__________ [/SIZE][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]apples
apricots
bilberries
lemons
oranges
redcurrants
strawberries
__________ [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]coriander
mushrooms (cultivated)
mushrooms (wild)
tarragon
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]

[/SIZE]

crazyterrier2000

jenniewb wrote: »

BTW, this is whats growing now, curtosy of http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/:

[SIZE=-1][SIZE=-1]artichoke[/SIZE][/SIZE][SIZE=-1]
[SIZE=-1]aubergine[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]beetroot[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]broad beans[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]broccoli[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]carrots[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]chillies[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]courgettes[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]cucumber[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]fennel[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]french beans[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]garlic[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]kohlrabi[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]leeks[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]lettuces & salad leaves[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]mangetout[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]marrow[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]onions[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]pak choi[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]peppers[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]potatoes (maincrop)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]radishes[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]rocket[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]runner beans[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]sweetcorn[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]watercress[/SIZE]
[/SIZE]__________
[SIZE=-1]blackberries[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]blueberries[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]damsons[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]figs[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]grapes[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]loganberries[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]melons[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]nectarines[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]peaches[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]pears[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]plums[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]raspberries[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]tomatoes[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]__________ [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]basil[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]chives[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]oregano[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]mint[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]parsley (curly)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]parsley (flat leaf)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]rosemary[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]sage[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]sorrel[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]thyme [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][SIZE=-1]celery[/SIZE][/SIZE][SIZE=-1]
[SIZE=-1]peas[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]spinach[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]spring onions[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]turnips[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]wild nettles[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]__________ [/SIZE][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]apples[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]apricots[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]bilberries[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]lemons[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]oranges[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]redcurrants[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]strawberries[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]__________ [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]coriander[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]mushrooms (cultivated)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]mushrooms (wild)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]tarragon[/SIZE]

You get all that free!

TravellingAbuela

Sloes are ripening beautifully at the moment crazyterrier (and they are definitely free!) Lots of uses for them - Sloe Gin, Sloe Cordial, Sloe Chutney, Sloe & Apple Jelly .... I could go on and on.

mandragora_2

Mushrooms all over the place at the moment - hubby got some funny looks when he couldn't resist the crop on a strip of grass between a local housing estste and the main road, but we had them with dinner last night - fantatstic. Blackeberries and apple for pudding - yum!!

Stranger_Than_Fiction

There are organisations locally you can join to go and harvest what would otherwise be left to rot. (You'll have to google them as I can't remember the name of our local organisation.) We live in London and have fields nearby and the Grand Union Canal and have loads of fruit to gather at this time of year. Lots of apples, pears, blackberries, horseradish, plums, damsons with sloes waiting for the colder months and a few cob nuts. We also have hops but it hasn't been a good year for them this year. I'm sure like the OP, there are many people who just have too much fruit at this time of year and would welcome it going to a good home but don't really know how to set about it.

jenniewb

crazyterrier2000 wrote: »

You get all that free!

If you can find it and are nieve enough to believe its safe :rotfl:

But seriously, get stuff checked out first, esp mushrooms as rogue berries and fungus can look very much like the real thing and can cause harm and damage so by all means forage, but do so with care, especially if you have kids.

loucroft

Loads of damsons and blackberries near us at the minute, thats in addition to all the food at my allottment - yum!

jamespir

got blackberries and made a nice crumble you have tobe careful with mushrooms as some are poisinus

Snowy_Owl

:j YAY!!! :j We moved house last December inheriting an apple tree and a plum tree. Five demi-johns left in the greehnhouse. Hubby has found 4-more at the back of a cupboard in his (old) house he's doing up to sell. We're coming to the picking season and appart from the other bits of equiment we're needing (off ebay through top-cash back), we can have some hopefully ok cheap home made wine!!!!!

:beer:

Snowy