Autumn Fruit and Foraging for Food.

Cartus

Cartus

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Tim
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With time on my hands a bit at the moment I thought I'd take advantage of picking some wild fruit from the local countryside. I like the idea of 'foraging', there's some wonderful free foodstuff growing locally and asking to be picked at this time of the year. Early summer I made a couple of batches of elderflower cordial, I've been out this afternoon and picked a couple of pounds of sloes for sloe gin, the 'king' of foraged fruits the blackberry is yet to ripen properly it seemed.

A number of years I've made blackberry whisky by steeping the fruit in whisky, the same way as sloe gin, it's excellent after a few months and just about ready for Christmas. Blackberry pies and puddings are great too of course

I thought I would have a go at some rose hip syrup a bit later on in the autumn, I've never tried it.

Are there any vegetable, animals (or minerals!) that anybody takes (legitimately) from the countryside?
 
I regularly take rabbits and pigeon with an air rifle and deer with a .243 - i'd note though that you need permission from the landowner (and a FAC in the latter case)

that sort of thing aside you can pretty much forget animals - plants are easier as most landowners don't care so long as you don't take the p***. apart from the obvious ones like blackberries and apples, another one i like is wild garlic ... however do make sure you know what you are looking at as every year some pillock or other poisons themselves or someone else by confusing it with hemlock.

with rosehips remember that you need to filter through a muslin bag - if you don't the hairs can give you a perforated bowel
 
The damp summer has resulted in mushrooms appearing in my window boxes. Not identified if they're edible or not yet...
 
Damson Gin.
Make it this year.
Leave it for 12 months.
Drink the gin, and most importantly eat the damsons - but don't drive afterwards!
 
Cartus said:
picked a couple of pounds of sloes
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I'm still waiting for them to reach a decent size around here, but they do say that you shouldn't pick them until after a frost ;)



Llamaman said:
Not identified if they're edible or not yet...
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There's one sure fire way to find out (y)
 
Cobra said:
I'm still waiting for them to reach a decent size around here, but they do say that you shouldn't pick them until after a frost ;)
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same with ours, they are just hard and green at the moment, we normally pick them around the middle of October just in time to make a couple of litres of sloe gin for xmas. (y)
 
Damsons.

Damson Brandy.

mmmmmmmmmmm
 
Sloes are meant to be left until the first frost before harvesting, it really is a bit early especially if you are saying blackberries aren't ready yet - they're going over in a lot of places here and it definitely isn't time to be picking sloes...

Oh well, at the very least freeze them before you do anything with them.

Blackberry and apple gin/vodka is nice too.
 
Nawty said:
Sloes are meant to be left until the first frost before harvesting, it really is a bit early especially if you are saying blackberries aren't ready yet - they're going over in a lot of places here and it definitely isn't time to be picking sloes...

Oh well, at the very least freeze them before you do anything with them.

Blackberry and apple gin/vodka is nice too.
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I was surprised to see the sloes too but having pricked half a kilo so far they're definitely ripe and ready.

There was an article in the Torygraph about how early they are this year:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodandd...125/Bumper-harvest-of-early-sloe-berries.html
 
We used to make sloe gin and blackberry vodka every year but got a bit fed up of it, now might be the time to start again :)
 
I picked a few blackberries the other day here in Lincs, some ready some not. Not looked for sloes yet as thought it to early. Last year made blackberry vodka and sloe gin. After removing the sloes from the gin, I de-stone them ( takes forever but get other half to do it) and then add them to flap jack mixture...bloody lovely:) The sharpness of the gin soaked sloes gives them a unique flavour, give it a try Made elderflower champagne a couple of years ago but not that keen on it. Didn't like the smell either, cats pee is not very appealing.
 
If the sloes are ripe ad ready....get 'em picked!, You could also put them in the freezer over night which just does the job of the frost, the idea behind the frost is that the skins split and puncture easier, or atleast that is what I have been lead to believe. Enjoy your harvest.
 
Cartus said:
I've read that raspberry vodka is v.good too.
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It certainly is, but the raspberries don't last long enough in my house to do that!
We normally make redcurrant gin & vodka, blackcurrant gin & vodka, and sloe gin.

Freezing the fruit for a few days before putting it in the alcohol really helps release the fruit flavour/juice.
 
Last year my missus made Sloe and Blackberry jelly, very nice indeed
 
Blackberries weren't ready when we had a look at the weekend but should be when we are back. Figs are ready now though and there are plenty of wild trees around. Delicious hot from the sun.
 
hope to be picking blackberries soon for wine :)
We have a good spot near me, an old railway line that is now a path. last year we got about 7 kg!
 
eeyore said:
hope to be picking blackberries soon for wine :)
We have a good spot near me, an old railway line that is now a path. last year we got about 7 kg!
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I hope everyone remembers that wildlife rely on these wild berries in the autumn so stripping the plants of all the fruit can seriously impact wildlife.
 
AHILL said:
I hope everyone remembers that wildlife rely on these wild berries in the autumn so stripping the plants of all the fruit can seriously impact wildlife.
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yup, never strip them, where I go there are about 2 miles of bushes... never seen anyone else pick them
 
Has anyone eaten any coarse fish? Eel are (or used to be) commonly consumed but I've never fancied them at all, even less in jelly. (n)

It is said that pike is good to eat as is carp, (if purged a bit I understand). I spoke to a friend of mine yesterday though who told me his parents had been to a Michelin starred restaurant in France where they had been served pike and found it unpalatable or even inedible apparently.

I had a copy of H.Fearnley-Whttingstall's "Cook on the Wild Side" and he advocates eating almost all fish, especiallly the bottom feeding gudgeon which he rates as particularly delicious!
 
Cartus said:
Has anyone eaten any coarse fish? Eel are (or used to be) commonly consumed but I've never fancied them at all, even less in jelly. (n)
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Jellied eels, now you are talking (y) pike tastes of mud.
 
Freshwater fish may require a fair bit of salt to taste of much.

Sloes seem a bit early round here - last year I picked them in early November to be sure they were properly ripe, and made some of our best sloe gin for several years.
 
big soft moose said:
I regularly take rabbits and pigeon with an air rifle and deer with a .243 - i'd note though that you need permission from the landowner (and a FAC in the latter case)

that sort of thing aside you can pretty much forget animals - plants are easier as most landowners don't care so long as you don't take the p***. apart from the obvious ones like blackberries and apples, another one i like is wild garlic ... however do make sure you know what you are looking at as every year some pillock or other poisons themselves or someone else by confusing it with hemlock.

with rosehips remember that you need to filter through a muslin bag - if you don't the hairs can give you a perforated bowel
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yep 2lb of self made wild garlic butter in the fridge..............
 
My parents borrowed my 10 and 11 year old last Sunday for half an hour and came back with 4kg of blackberries and within a couple of hours we had 6 jars of jam and a crumble in the oven. Next week we will fill a draw in a freezer.

I have 20 odd bottles of Elderflower champagne still in the garage which is dead easy to make. But pick the flowers in the morning. (Spring)

Early nettles makes great soup

My father also picks mushrooms and has done for years so when we meet up for a walk we usually have something to take home.

Apples, plumbs, and I have also turned round and picked up pheasants I have or have seen hit by cars.

I also have two lurchers so the odd rabbit hits the freezer.

I did have a permission and a license for netting crayfish a while back. Used to get 1000s but with kids, dogs and everything else I gave it up. Crayfish curry was always asked for when we had people over. I used to boil them up and the lads used to shell them over a beer or two.
 
Maggie52 said:
Lol yes correct...predictive text strikes again:)
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Its a right PITA isn't it? Damned MotherForklift predictive text

:D

Foraging, I found a couple of great fields on the way back from Norfolk earlier today full of all sorts of free stuff, loaded up the 4x4 (y)

(anyone know how to joint a pig? )
 
yep - thats what hes talking about (signal crayfish) you wouldn't get a licence for the indigenous ones because they are endangered
 
I'm sure I saw a news article or something encouraging people to catch them.

I'm not certain though.
 
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