Great Rural MoneySaving Hunt

harryhound

What do you do with Rowan (Mountain Ash) berries?

downshifter

TravellingAbuela wrote: »

I now have my eye on a few Blackthorn bushes, awaiting the sloes ripening. If anyone beats me to them I shall scream!! Oooh I can taste the Sloe Gin now!

The rowanberries are looking all but ripe too but if anyone knows of any "secret"
locations in West/North Yorkshire where I might find other "produce" free please pass on (I won't tell anyone else!!) In particular the whereabouts of any wild damsons would be appreciated!

Even at this time of the morning the thought of sloe gin and damson gin is great. I made lots of damson gin one year when someone gave me a big bagful. Sadly now I can't afford the gin, unless someone knows of a good source (or maybe a home made source!!!) of gin.

Can't help with foraging places around your area, my own area is heaving with stuff at the moment (sadly though, no gin!) I find it's better to go latish in the week, say Thurs or Frid, before the weekend walkers clear the bushes around the obvious footpaths. Monday just produces lots of trodden down areas, though these seem to recover in a day or two.

DS

shykins

we have been picking loads of blackberries over the last few weeks and have frozen a load for winter use too... also picked and made sloe gin (got ours cheap in asda btw)

i was wanting some damsons or plums for gin and couldnt find any wild so asked on freecycle and a lady kindly offered her run of her garden, as that was so successful i recently asked it anyone had any nut trees in their garden and have response from that too, so if u cant find anywhere to forage try asking on freecycle!!

Lotus-eater

Just made some damson gin, haven't made it before, only damson brandy, so I look forward to trying it some time in the future.
Bit early for sloes for me, wait until October, but then we have no shortage round here and don't have to compete against other pickers, unless a hundred coach loads turned up!

I'm always shocked by the waste of fruit in gardens, so it's a good idea to ask on freecycle for things like that.
We have a lovely greengage tree on public land in my village, I was picking some with my kids the other day, eating some and taking some home. Some of the other children from the village came and asked me what we were picking! These weren't young kids either, but 12 year olds, I bet their parents went and bought fruit from the shops this week, instead of using what was around them.
This week we are eating apples from our tree (no shortage of free apples around though), damsons from the wild, greengages (from public tree) and raspberries from the garden also.
What was the percentage we were self sufficient in fruit? Twenty percent? I'm not suprised tbh, most people wouldn't know an apple if it hit them on the head, unless it was covered in plastic and had a label on it.

Btw I will just add that a few people around here think I am a bit eccentric to be picking fruit from public land trees, I suspect they think it beneath themselves to do the same. I also tried giving away glut crops at the gate when I had some in the garden veg patch, not one taker I don't think I'm that extreme

shykins

quite agree lotus, some people asked us why we were picking the sloes and we explained about sloe gin et.....another person asked us could they eat those lovely red berries umm NOOO they are nightshade i told them to remove the plant from their garden as they had kids

i think thats the problem people dont KNOW what things are so are too scared to pick stuff just in case (even apples etc which should be obvious) , we are the same with some things, we saw some HUGE great mushrooms the other day but wasnt sure if they would be edible so didnt, they probably would of been fine

Lotus-eater

shykins wrote: »

i think thats the problem people dont KNOW what things are so are too scared to pick stuff just in case (even apples etc which should be obvious) , we are the same with some things, we saw some HUGE great mushrooms the other day but wasnt sure if they would be edible so didnt, they probably would of been fine

I wouldn't bet on it though good choice to have left them alone.

People can learn if they are interested, but most aren't. I didn't learn from my parents, I was told when I was young that the myriad of shaggy ink caps that we had growing on our lawn were poisonous....when I think of all that wasted food I think I got the love of the countryside from a granddad, he rarely went walking without coming back with something, be it a pheasant or some peas picked from a field
My parents belonged to that generation that could afford to buy all food from shops, not have to grow their own or find it. Because of this generation gap, we have lost most of the old skills, it's a shame and good to see it's starting to come back.

shykins

well i grew up in east london, certainly no foraging there lol, tho i saw a program a while of guerilla gardeners with people planting things all over london

would love to learn more about mushrooms tho as i see them often but just dont know what is and what isnt ok as there is no definitive asnwer (that i can find)

agreed about it being good to see the interest coming back more and we always try and pass on info to others if they ask.... peopls are missing out on good, free food and thats such a waste

Lotus-eater

I bet there were blackberries and elderberries in London

Go and buy a good mushroom book, one with photos not pictures and pick some simple, good mushrooms. Learn about them and what may look like them, concentrate on a few only. Look for those ones. Depending on where you are, there are are mushroom hunts you can join, where a skilled person takes other people round.

shykins

can barely remember seeing a tree let alone a blackberry bush lol

i do look at the books but am still too nervous to pick, looked for a forager lesson round here but couldnt find one... aah well will persevere and find someone who knows

Hello

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I also tried giving away glut crops at the gate when I had some in the garden veg patch, not one taker I don't think I'm that extreme

I don't suppose your watering can is anywhere near West Devon?? Giving away stuff and no takers???? They are the ones that are all mad!