Foraging Challenge

Ken68

Blackberries very good in this area, also foraging for elderberries as fruit for breakfast.
Not so good for mushrooms, but time to get going for, like your phrase Elaine, feral apples. And look out for the walnuts.
Also found some small wild yellow plums.
All good MSE

Footpather

Went down the canal footpath at the weekend but not particularly good news.

There were plenty of blackberries but we didn't pick them as there are plenty nearer to home.

We found a pear tree but the fruit was still fairly small and hard, maybe another month or so and it will be really good. Loads of fruit on it.

Didn't find one single plum, yellow or red. Which is strange as it wasn't as if they had all been picked because there are usually dropped fruit around on the ground or fruit in really difficult places to reach. There was nothing at all.

We did find an apple tree. Someone else had just picked a hatful of apples and they were eating some. I asked if they were nice and they said yes they were very nice. On our way back up the canal my daughter picked one and we can confirm they were good eating apples. We didn't pick any more as we have an apple tree in the garden.

On an interesting note, today our City Hall are having a bring and buy of fruit and vegetables. Anything that you have a glut of you can take along and you can buy anything for just a donation to the Lord Mayors Appeal. You don't have to take to buy though.

Lemanie_2

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

MARMITE I made mine yesterday and now have 1 and a half litres in the fridge, gave half a litre to my friend, it's something we do every year, she even has her 'own' bottle! Currently have 20 bottles of Elderflower Champagne in the shed under wraps too (big blanket in case of explosions!) we tried a bottle of the first batch yesterday and it was GOOD!!!!! Hope yours turns out well this time, good luck, Cheers Lyn xxx.

What recipe did you use? I used this one and it didn't turn out well at all .

http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/blog/elderflower-champagne-recipe/

I did have to resort to using yeast and I just used bread yeast, so that may have been part of the problem.

Very disapointing!

[Deleted User]

Hi LEMANIE I've used the following recipe for years now and it's always been fine for us

Elderflower Champagne

4 heads of elderflowers
1 and a half pounds of white sugar
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
8 pints of cold water
2 lemons

Put the elderflowers, sugar, vinegar and water in a bowl, squeeze the lemons and add the juice, then cut the lemon skins into quarters and add to the liquid. Leave to stand for 24 hours, stirring occasionally, strain the liquid through muslin/cheesecloth and bottle into screw topped bottles. It's ready to drink within a week.

I keep the bottles in the shed covered with a big thick old blanket just in case we get one popping. The yeast in the flowers should be enough to make the champagne ferment and sparkle at the end. Hope that's some help, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Lemanie_2

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Hi LEMANIE I've used the following recipe for years now and it's always been fine for us

Elderflower Champagne

4 heads of elderflowers
1 and a half pounds of white sugar
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
8 pints of cold water
2 lemons

Put the elderflowers, sugar, vinegar and water in a bowl, squeeze the lemons and add the juice, then cut the lemon skins into quarters and add to the liquid. Leave to stand for 24 hours, stirring occasionally, strain the liquid through muslin/cheesecloth and bottle into screw topped bottles. It's ready to drink within a week.

I keep the bottles in the shed covered with a big thick old blanket just in case we get one popping. The yeast in the flowers should be enough to make the champagne ferment and sparkle at the end. Hope that's some help, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Thank you!! I'll give that a go next year.

TravellingAbuela

This has to be the best year for blackberries for quite some time around these parts. I have a mountain stashed away in the freezer already and we still can't stop picking them! When I see them, all fat and juicy, it takes all my willpower to walk past them!

Nocturnes

TravellingAbuela wrote: »

This has to be the best year for blackberries for quite some time around these parts. I have a mountain stashed away in the freezer already and we still can't stop picking them! When I see them, all fat and juicy, it takes all my willpower to walk past them!

Me too. Apart from jam, I made Hugh's compote (I halved sugar and one batch used honey), bottled some of it and have a never-ending supply in a tupperware in the fridge. Good for desserts or breakfast!

ditsykitchen

I went out a couple of days ago to pick apples for cider making, but there weren't many left on the trees - looks like someone else had the same idea! What can I do with 20-30 small apples?

Seakay

Stewed apple, apple chutney, dried apple slices, bottle apples ....

Karmacat

Hello peeps! I've been getting into foraging much more this year - lots of apples, lots of blackberries, I had elderflower pancakes earlier this year (really nice, very yummy), though I've got a cold right now so the rowans, the haws and the hips are on hold for the moment.

I have a question tho ... early on in this thread, there's a lovely recipe for lavender fairy cakes, and I'm wondering about *when* to pick the lavender. Thing is, the local bees go crazy for my lavender, and I don't want to deprive them of anything at all when the species is having such a hard time. Is it still any good to use them after the bees have stopped visiting them? Its a general question too, I guess, as well as lavender.

Thanks!