Wild Food

[redhappy]

Does anybody pick wild food?

I have LOTS of blackberries already, they have come into season early this year. Spotted a tree covered in ripe rosehips this afternoon, but I don't know what to do with them? Can anybody share some recipes please?

Also spotted a hazlenut tree. Don't think they're ripe yet. How do you know when they're ripe? Any good tried and tested recipes for them too?

And if you pick anything else can you tell me please and what do you do with it?
Thanks!

anyone?

Well I pick berries and nettles and samphire and mushrooms. I also collect cockles.

I have lots of books on what to do with wild stuff at home but not there now.

You can make a lot of stuf from rosehips, like cordial or jam. I'd just do a bit of googling.

Thanks

My friend has a good book but she's on holiday and can't afford to buy my own

Have googled, only come up with jellies and syrups and wondered if there was anything else I could do with the rosehips, maybe cakes or something? Just need to put more effort in perhaps!

Library.
I don't thin kyou could do cakes with rosehips, no.

ok, if you're interested I came across this website.. celtnet

I looked at the 'ancient' category and lots of interesting recipes there using hazlenuts, acorns etc.

I know I sound a bit crap, but I cant get into the library, have son with special needs who refuses to go in there. Will see if I can find something cheap on amazon though, any reccomendations?

best book had to be Richard Mabeys free food

I pick various stuff when I can find it if you can borrow it off anyone

rosehips are very bitter I would stick with jelly

www.thegreenlivingforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3294 this link]] may be of help
and if you struggle its worth asking on there

pants
here

its a page with loads of links to useful foraging sites

Yes the Richard Mabey Food for free is great and the Collins Gem one is cheap.

I knew I didn't have the name quite right but couldn't work out why and couldn't be bothered to check

The Dc's and I were out yesterday picking Blackberries, there's going to be a bumper crop this year as there's only a small amount here that are ripe, yet the bushes are laden with unripe ones. We picked 2 tubs full, and are already enjoying them.

We'll keep going over the next few weeks to pick some more, as I'd like to make jam with some this year.

Also noticed loads of Sloes on the bushes,and Elderberries so I'm going to pick some of them this year too.

There were some rosehips too, but I've only managed to find syrup recipes for them, I don't know if we'd like it.Although it may be good to give the Dc's a burst of Vit C with if they catch cold's over Winter.

Other than that I grow a lot of veg and herbs , so the only other thing I'd like to find is Wild Garlic.

I know a great spot for wild garlic. It's in Gloucestershire, not sure where you are, but maybe you could go for a day out to collect some if it's not too far. My parents are there so I'm planning to get some when I go to visit.

Last year we harvested bumper crop of nettles from our garden have moved house now so will have to look elsewhere for them. My mum has spotted sloes near where I am now, but I need to find out what they look like first!

Yes, and lots of elderberries too!

We had planned to chop down all the brambles in the garden when we moved here, luckily we didn't because it turned out we had a huge raspberry bush!

sloes look like small purple plums and the laves are almond shaped with a very slightly serrated edge

Theres someone around here who always picks the only ones Ive come across just before theyre ripe

how annoying!

Are you someone quite urban? We're fairly rural here (small town) and now I'm a mum and got the time to look for these things can't believe how much there is!

nope in a village in norfolk
wonder if its in fact the birds and just looks like someone pilfered the lot

Redhappy sadly Gloustershire is a bit too far, I'm in Bedfordshire.

I'm sure on our rambles I'll manage to find some somewhere.

When are the sloes ripe? On the web it says wait till after the first frost to pick them?

I take the dog for his run on a path at the edge of town(10 mins away) and the hedgerows are full of sloes.

Lots of Elderberries here too.

Think I'm going to have to take a rucksack next time I go picking

I love wild garlic, head to a bit of woodland with a stream and you are on to a sure thing!

I love where I live, I head out of my back door and within a few metres I have sloes, apples, elder, blackberries and raspberries :) Not to mention rowan, rosehips, nuts, hawthorne and goodness knows what else besides!

Elderflower cordial was made and is almost all gone, I'm watching the berries get bigger and looking forward to them. Blackberries not quite there yet but they will be ripe soon, the dcs are looking forward to them as the raspberries are pretty mcuh over. Problem with picking anything else is that the dcs are too small to see the point in picking anything that they can't shove in their mouths right away .

I've just made plum chutney, jam and cordial with wild plums and we're just finishing off all the crab apple jelly, apple and hot pepper jelly, apple chutney, bramble jelly, rosehip syrup etc. that I made last year.

I forage for nettles, for soup, elder flowers and berries, raspberries, woodland strawberries, wild garlic, mushrooms, nuts, crab apples, brambles, plums, cherries, sloes, hawthorn leaves and berries, rowan berries and anything else I can find, every year.

Things like cherries, raspberries and strawberries just get eaten, as do some of the plums, other fruit gets cooked and preserved in some way to eat during the year.

heh heh I made crab apple jelly last year; it was more like apple toffee but v lovely with pork

om nom nom

Great thread redhappy - I'm a wild food fan too.

Check out this excellent site for lots of great tips and recipes.

Closer to home, MNer MoonFaceMama offers an awesome nettle beer recipe here.

Well both kids have woken up with colds this morning, so I'm taking that as a sign. Off to collect the rosehips this morning to make syrup for them.

It's a great feeling actually- in this small way, to be living off the land.

I pick:

Sloes - gin

Watercress - soup

Brambles - jelly or jam or crumbles with apples

Rosehips - we just eat them off the bush

Cobnuts - ditto

Sorrel - ditto off the plant

Blaeberries - jam or eat with yogurt

Mushrooms - eat some, dry others

Elderflower - cordial,

Elderberries - cordial

Crab apples - jelly

hedgerow apples - crumbles etc

horseradish - sauce

Thats all I can think of at the mo.

Have posted a pic of the rosehips on my profile.

Do I need to soak them in salt water like blackberries? I did see a few maggots etc when I was picking

sometimes when picking blackberries we see other berries that look interesting. what berries might you see growing wild that are not edible?

Melted, intrigues as to where you get your horseradish...Never seen it.