Foraging

North Lower Neil

Inspired by it being blackberry season, what do people pick and what do they make?

I live in the countryside and don't take advantage enough of all the stuff around here as beyond blackberries, sloes and elderberries I've no idea what's edible and what isn't.

eaststandmike

We pick football clubs and make shed loads.

Have a good day

ESI

shine166

Magic mushrooms 

thai malaysia addick

My dogs pick a load of the blackberries that are around at the moment. Unfortunately, they eat them all themselves. What is impressive is that they know how to pick the ripe ones and leave the unripe ones (for now, at least).

Stig

We went blackberry picking the other day, but like the OP our forays are limited to them, sloes and elders. Basically everything we pick gets soaked in booze, before we get soaked in it ourselves.  We're making Blackberry Rum at the moment. Rum, sugar, blackberries and a vanilla pod (because we're very particular about the standards of what we drink) and that's it. Lovely.

Johnnysummers5

Just my nose, sometimes arse, but not in public

MuttleyCAFC

thai malaysia addick said:

My dogs pick a load of the blackberries that are around at the moment. Unfortunately, they eat them all themselves. What is impressive is that they know how to pick the ripe ones and leave the unripe ones (for now, at least).

Don't they go through them? 

North Lower Neil

Stig said:

We went blackberry picking the other day, but like the OP out forays are limited to them, sloes and elders. Basically everything we pick gets soaked in booze, before we get soaked in it ourselves.  We're making Blackberry Rum at the moment. Rum, sugar, blackberries and a vanilla pod (because we're very particular about the standards of what we drink) and that's it. Lovely.

Blackberry whisky or rum is lovely, make some every year, nicely ready for Christmas time.

PopIcon

shine166 said:

Magic mushrooms 

I remember being a naive teen and picking what we believed to be magic mushrooms in Avery Hill Park in the late 90s.

Lots of edible Mushrooms this time of year, puffballs are a good start as they are easily identifiable. 

Get a good book or app.

ShootersHillGuru

Have made Sloe Gin before but never either BlackBerry rum or Whisky.
Would one of you relevant pissheads be kind enough to post the recipe and how to, please
😉👍

Stig

Here's one from 'Domestic Sluttery' you might enjoy: http://archive.domesticsluttery.com/2012/10/sluttishly-boozy-blackberry-rum.html

North Lower Neil

Make sure you sterilise all the jars and bottles etc!

guinnessaddick

Remember the days, when we were kids, searching the woods for the hidden plastic bags, which would contain porn mags. After having time reading the stories, we would hide them somewhere else to continue reading at a later date, only to find that someone else has found them and hidden elsewhere.

Kids today, don't know how lucky they are.

SantaClaus

Wrong season for it now but I like picking wild garlic and using it in salads and sauces.

ShootersHillGuru

I presume you could do this straight into a half full bottle of rum or whisky like you do with sloe gin ?

North Lower Neil

SantaClaus said:

Wrong season for it now but I like picking wild garlic and using it in salads and sauces.

Never managed to find any round here but I'm terrible at knowing what to look for or more importantly, where to look. 

Same with samphire near the coast.

SantaClaus

North Lower Neil said:

SantaClaus said:

Wrong season for it now but I like picking wild garlic and using it in salads and sauces.

Never managed to find any round here but I'm terrible at knowing what to look for or more importantly, where to look. 

Same with samphire near the coast.

Finding the stuff isn't a problem for me as it grows like a weed in my front garden each spring. If you're not sure whether the plant's wild garlic or not crush a bit between your fingers and if it smells oniony you're probably on the right track.

red10

Elderberry & Gin infusion, 1 week into the 4 it should take. Just needs a bit of sugar / water mix added to taste.

Dippenhall

North Lower Neil said:

SantaClaus said:

Wrong season for it now but I like picking wild garlic and using it in salads and sauces.

Never managed to find any round here but I'm terrible at knowing what to look for or more importantly, where to look. 

Same with samphire near the coast.

Wherever it grows wild it takes over.  I dug up a few plants and transferred them to a shady part of the garden and they come up every year in masses.

Dippenhall

Dippenhall said:

North Lower Neil said:

SantaClaus said:

Wrong season for it now but I like picking wild garlic and using it in salads and sauces.

Never managed to find any round here but I'm terrible at knowing what to look for or more importantly, where to look. 

Same with samphire near the coast.

Wherever it grows wild it takes over.  I dug up a few plants and transferred them to a shady part of the garden and they come up every year in masses.

Meant to add that they die back after flowering so only easily visible in the spring.  You will smell them long before you see them.  Only grow wild in damp shady conditions, banks of streams in heavily wooded areas are a good bet.

Prolific in parts of the wooded South Downs so probably also in similar areas of North Downs in Kent, suggest in natural ancient woodland.

Athletico Charlton

Blackberries, apples and plumbs.  

Make apple/blackberry pie, blackberry shortbread and freeze some for breakfast with plain yoghurt.

thai malaysia addick

MuttleyCAFC said:

thai malaysia addick said:

My dogs pick a load of the blackberries that are around at the moment. Unfortunately, they eat them all themselves. What is impressive is that they know how to pick the ripe ones and leave the unripe ones (for now, at least).

Don't they go through them? 

They're labradors; they eat anything.

Fanny Fanackapan

Dippenhall said:

Dippenhall said:

North Lower Neil said:

SantaClaus said:

Wrong season for it now but I like picking wild garlic and using it in salads and sauces.

Never managed to find any round here but I'm terrible at knowing what to look for or more importantly, where to look. 

Same with samphire near the coast.

Wherever it grows wild it takes over.  I dug up a few plants and transferred them to a shady part of the garden and they come up every year in masses.

Meant to add that they die back after flowering so only easily visible in the spring.  You will smell them long before you see them.  Only grow wild in damp shady conditions, banks of streams in heavily wooded areas are a good bet.

Prolific in parts of the wooded South Downs so probably also in similar areas of North Downs in Kent, suggest in natural ancient woodland.

Loads of it in Spring on one of the walks we do.

AddickUpNorth

shine166 said:

Magic mushrooms 

Ahhh, memories. When I was a lot younger than I am today going shrooming was an annual thing. Luckily I knew two sites to collect those little fungi’s of merriment. One was within walking distance and was straight forward to get to, the other was in the grounds of Ampleforth College. Going there took a certain amount of bravery because legend had it that if you were caught by any of the monks there then you’d be taken off and ceremoniously bummed on an alter in the depths of the main hall. I never actually met anyone that that happened to though.

blackpool72

AddickUpNorth said:

shine166 said:

Magic mushrooms 

Ahhh, memories. When I was a lot younger than I am today going shrooming was an annual thing. Luckily I knew two sites to collect those little fungi’s of merriment. One was within walking distance and was straight forward to get to, the other was in the grounds of Ampleforth College. Going there took a certain amount of bravery because legend had it that if you were caught by any of the monks there then you’d be taken off and ceremoniously bummed on an alter in the depths of the main hall. I never actually met anyone that that happened to though.

Yeah right. 
That's what made you do the job you do 😂😂

N01R4M

Wild damsons near me get made into jam, and bramble jelly is good too.  Also crab-apple jelly.

When visiting moorland or heathland, keep an eye open for low-growing bilberry bushes - they're smaller than
blueberries but far superior taste & make a lovely pie.

Dandelion flowers make a nice dry country wine - my great-uncle used to make wine out of almost anything he could forage!

Quite a few seaweeds are edible, & add a tang to salads, but not only need a good identification guide but also local knowledge of pollution-free collection sites.  True also for things like cockles, if you are into "fruit de mer".

cashncarry

I usually send the Mrs out looking for Truffles