Foraging

[Genghi]

I have started foraging recently - picked blackberries and plums and made some amazing crumbles. Found a couple of wild pear trees. I want to expand my foraging horizons but have no idea how or what to look out for. Does anyone have any ideas?

Am amazed that this hasn't received more responses - maybe everyone else is too busy out foraging already? There are plenty of foraging books out there that will have ideas. Examples include:

The Forager Handbook - Miles Irving
Food For Free - Richard Mabey (a classic in this field)
Foraging: A practical guide to finding and preparing free wild food - John Lewis-Stempel
Wild Food: A Complete Guide for Foragers - Roger Phillips

Here are a few thoughts on things you might be able to forage for (these are mostly things we have done, and we are only beginners):

Hazelnuts / Cobnuts - in the hedgerows (if you can get them before the grey squirrels, who take them while still green), either to eat as they are or we made a hazelnut liqueur last time we had a good harvest
Sweet chestnuts - worth collecting for Christmas stuffing or cooking with Brussel Sprouts, also can roast over an open fire (again can be difficult to beat the squirrels and rodents on the woodland floor)
Sloes (fruit of the Blackthorn) - make sloe gin this year for consumption next
Elderflowers - make a nice Spring-time cordial
Elderberries - make jam / cordial / wine
Crab apples - make great jelly (preserve) and also a good source of pectin for other jams
Wild garlic - can make into pesto and use in other recipes
Mushrooms - would recommend attending a course, going with a guide due to the risks of toadstool poisoning
Dandelions - young leaves make a good salad vegetable or use like spinach in recipes like goodthingsmagazine.com/antonio-carluccios-dandelion-pie/ (we made another Antonio Carluccio recipe that put Dandelion leaves and other foraged ingredients in tortelini - which was really tasty)
Stinging nettles - young shoots (wear gloves!) in something like www.emikodavies.com/blog/stinging-nettle-tortellini/

Another vote for Food for Free. Also, a good pocket sized mushroom guide