Who else forages?

qwert_yuiop

MSE_Tine wrote: »

As a long time fan of foraging (even as a kid I went shrooming with my aunt and uncle... I was probably more hindrance than help, but I loved it!) I've over the years (and through several countries) foraged blueberries, cranberries, mushrooms, nettles, apples, blackberries, horseradish, elderflower and berries, sloes and multiple other goodies.

(DO check our Free Food Guide - point 9 for more info on where you are allowed to forage )

I'd love to know who else is an avid Forager and what you normally find and what you do with it?:money:

[purplesignup][/purplesignup]

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Cranberries? What country do you live in?

Primrose

I foraged a bucket full of fallen walnuts a few days ago which still had their green shells on them. Put them round the side of the house in open potting shed area for them to dry out.

Went to check them today only to find walnut shell debris all over the floor and most of the walnuts have disappeared , Pesky local squirrel had discovered them! Never kid yourself you can beat nature's natural foragers!!

snilloct1957

buildersdaughter wrote: »

I too was raised to pick food from the countryside (we didn't call it 'foraging'!) and certainly knew which mushrooms were edible or not (and, I have to say, which were hallucinogenic, common knowledge in my part of the world 60 years ago, but only picked by a few old eccentrics)
I just want to raise the issue of rose hip 'hairs' - you need to pass the cooked hips through a fine sieve to get rid of them - which is why hips are mostly used as syrup or jelly. I also wonder how many on here remember picking them for the Ministry of Food for 3d a pound?
OP mentioned picking cranberries - I have never, to my knowledge, seen them in the UK. I don't expect to learn their location, but am interested as to whether they are found here.

You've just given away your age... I spoke to an older gentleman in my church about rosehips and he mentioned the 3d a pound "bounty", AND he was pleased to get it! Anyway, after I boil the berries I strain the juice through a muslin cloth, which eliminates the hairs and produces a pure liquid. Sometimes we make a cordial, which mixed with hot water, (half and half) is a good anti-cold remedy.

buildersdaughter

misha101 wrote: »

im already planning my foraging this year. the blackberries are totally abundant and I have some places where there are apples. I have also found a walnut tree near by which is great. I am going to try using the walnut peel to make a black home made dye. Anyone tried Eco-dyeing?:cool::j

I've done this in the past - it's very interesting, but impossible to 'fix' by modern standards. Having given away my age by saying I picked rose hips for 3d a pound, I'm now going to mention 'dishcloth cotton' which was used to make dishcloths - usually a first knitting project for a child as it didn't matter if it was wonky!
I made cushion covers when young, by using dishcloth cotton as the warp (on a frame my dad made). The weft was wool I gathered from the fields, span, and dyed using natural materials. My relatives were very kind about them!

My own cold remedy is blackberry vinegar - I still have the thin piece of paper given to my grandmother on her wedding day, with the recipe - and I still make a bottle every year (for me, DH hates it!)

Well_Preserved

My grandmother did something similar but I think with other fruit, too - my memories are of blackcurrant. I can't remember if they were stored in vinegar. She had a deep ceramic jar that had the fruit at the bottom, I think layered with sugar as I recall a crunch! She would scoop out a spoonful & make it into a hot drink when we had colds. Come to think of it, there must have been something like vinegar in to soothe our chesty coughs. I never saw or found a recipe, though, more's the pity.

Well_Preserved

Just for the record, the recipe I referred to about haws is in 'Preserves' by Pam Corbin, No. 2 in the River Cottage Handbook Series, where it's called Saucy Haw Ketchup. There's a similar recipe in a book I rarely remember to look at, 'Fruits of the Hedgerow and Unusual Garden Fruits: Gather them, cook them, eat them' by Charlotte Popescu. It has a couple of haw jelly recipes, too, and quite a few elderberry and rosehip recipes. May be of interest to someone.

Primrose

buildersdaughter wrote: »

I've done this in the past - it's very interesting, but impossible to 'fix' by modern standards. Having given away my age by saying I picked rose hips for 3d a pound, I'm now going to mention 'dishcloth cotton' which was used to make dishcloths - usually a first knitting project for a child as it didn't matter if it was wonky!
I made cushion covers when young, by using dishcloth cotton as the warp (on a frame my dad made). The weft was wool I gathered from the fields, span, and dyed using natural materials. My relatives were very kind about them!

My own cold remedy is blackberry vinegar - I still have the thin piece of paper given to my grandmother on her wedding day, with the recipe - and I still make a bottle every year (for me, DH hates it!)

The only thing I can say about walnut skins is that the black marks they leave are very difficult to remove. I foraged some recently and rather stupidly removed the green skins with bare hands rather then wearing rubber gloves. A week later my hands and finger nails are still not fit to be seen in polite company as I look as if i've been down a coal mine digging out coal by hand.

Camomile

Porcini grow from May onwards if the conditions are right ( enough rain and warmth during the night).I collected a bag couple of weeks ago, another one last week. Will see if I manage to get some more before the winter.
Brambles and hazelnuts-abundance of them at the moment, elderflower berries are starting, thinking about making some cordial (good for colds)

andygb

qwert_yuiop wrote: »

Cranberries? What country do you live in?

England.


https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/nov/30/cranberry-farmer-kent-crumble-cake-recipe

andygb

Primrose wrote: »

The only thing I can say about walnut skins is that the black marks they leave are very difficult to remove. I foraged some recently and rather stupidly removed the green skins with bare hands rather then wearing rubber gloves. A week later my hands and finger nails are still not fit to be seen in polite company as I look as if i've been down a coal mine digging out coal by hand.

The black dye will get through rubber gloves as well.;)