Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.

Foraging

North Lower Neil
North Lower Neil Posts: 23,013
in Not Sports Related
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.
«1

Comments

  • eaststandmike
    eaststandmike Posts: 14,956
    We pick football clubs and make shed loads.

    Have a good day

    ESI
  • shine166
    shine166 Posts: 13,938
    Magic mushrooms 
  • thai malaysia addick
    thai malaysia addick Posts: 18,410
    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
    Stig Posts: 29,138
    edited August 2020
    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
    Johnnysummers5 Posts: 8,469
    Just my nose, sometimes arse, but not in public
  • MuttleyCAFC
    MuttleyCAFC Posts: 47,793
    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
    North Lower Neil Posts: 23,013
    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
    PopIcon Posts: 5,970
    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
    ShootersHillGuru Posts: 50,666
    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
    Stig Posts: 29,138
    Here's one from 'Domestic Sluttery' you might enjoy: http://archive.domesticsluttery.com/2012/10/sluttishly-boozy-blackberry-rum.html

  • Sponsored links:



  • North Lower Neil
    North Lower Neil Posts: 23,013
    Make sure you sterilise all the jars and bottles etc!
  • guinnessaddick
    guinnessaddick Posts: 28,810
    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
    SantaClaus Posts: 7,685
    Wrong season for it now but I like picking wild garlic and using it in salads and sauces.
  • ShootersHillGuru
    ShootersHillGuru Posts: 50,666
    edited August 2020
    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
    North Lower Neil Posts: 23,013
    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
    SantaClaus Posts: 7,685
    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
    red10 Posts: 843
    Elderberry & Gin infusion, 1 week into the 4 it should take. Just needs a bit of sugar / water mix added to taste.
  • Dippenhall
    Dippenhall Posts: 3,923
    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 Posts: 3,923
    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
    Athletico Charlton Posts: 14,318
    Blackberries, apples and plumbs.  

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

  • Sponsored links:



  • thai malaysia addick
    thai malaysia addick Posts: 18,410
    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
    Fanny Fanackapan Posts: 18,769
    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
    AddickUpNorth Posts: 8,325
    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
    blackpool72 Posts: 23,747
    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
    N01R4M Posts: 2,577
    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
    cashncarry Posts: 980
    I usually send the Mrs out looking for Truffles 
  • North Lower Neil
    North Lower Neil Posts: 23,013
    edited June 29




    Anyone know what these are?

    Google lens keeps trying to say apples or plums but it's struggling with scale - cherry plums maybe?

    Seem to be the more purple colour when ripe and ready to fall, the colour in the tape measure photo on the tree.
  • R0TW
    R0TW Posts: 1,688
    shine166 said:
    Magic mushrooms 
    You sound like a fun guy.
  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 8,542
    edited June 29
    Not Cambridge Gages are they? @North Lower Neil
  • The Red Robin
    The Red Robin Posts: 26,166
    Thought this was another thread about our transfer strategy 

Categories

“Marketplace”