Hi,
Just reached 45 and decided i needed to make some jam, at least this mid-life crisis doesn't involve fast cars or motorbikes!
I would like to forage for as many fruits as possible but I don't know what to look for (apart from blackberries) and the best type of places to find them.
I know the season will now have gone for most fruits but there's nothing like being prepared for next year.
I am in the Lincs/south yorkshire area so if anyone could help that would be great.
Thanks!
Foraging help for a newbie
-
GeorgeSalt
- Living the good life
- Posts: 425
- Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2012 10:21 am
- Location: West Norfolk, UK
Re: Foraging help for a newbie
Jam sounds like a healthy crisis to have!
Still plenty of fruit in season.. I'm still picking autumn raspberries and even strawberries, but these are garden plants rather than foraged.
In the hedgerows the classic fruits are now available - certainly not to late, probably perfect timing. A classic jelly (rather than jam) is blackberry and crabapple (or even regular apples), rosehips are starting to reach picking stage and I've used those to add a pink blush to a crabapple jelly. Yesterday I managed to pick 1.5lb blackberries, something over 6lb elderberries, 3.5lb haws, and found a thicket of wild plums I'll go back for. I'm picking for wines and cordials, but you'll find a jam/jelly recipe most of these fruits. It looks to be a good year for rowan round here (planted for ornament rather than wild in this neck of the woods).
If you get out and about and just see what's available. Look everywhere.. waste ground, river banks, canals, paths.. stop taking the main road and see whats's about on the back roads. If you see a fruit try and identifiy it and then search to see what people do with it.
If you're not to sure on your identification take a few photos with your camera/phone and share them.. I'm sure someone here will be able to help. For identification of fruit we need at least three photos:
- A view of the tree/bush so we can see its growth habit and the environment it's in
- A close-up of the fruit, sometimes an extra shot showwing the fruit cut in half or cut open to show the flesh and seed(s) can help
- A close-up of the leaf, it should show the leaf flat (or at least flat-ish)
Still plenty of fruit in season.. I'm still picking autumn raspberries and even strawberries, but these are garden plants rather than foraged.
In the hedgerows the classic fruits are now available - certainly not to late, probably perfect timing. A classic jelly (rather than jam) is blackberry and crabapple (or even regular apples), rosehips are starting to reach picking stage and I've used those to add a pink blush to a crabapple jelly. Yesterday I managed to pick 1.5lb blackberries, something over 6lb elderberries, 3.5lb haws, and found a thicket of wild plums I'll go back for. I'm picking for wines and cordials, but you'll find a jam/jelly recipe most of these fruits. It looks to be a good year for rowan round here (planted for ornament rather than wild in this neck of the woods).
If you get out and about and just see what's available. Look everywhere.. waste ground, river banks, canals, paths.. stop taking the main road and see whats's about on the back roads. If you see a fruit try and identifiy it and then search to see what people do with it.
If you're not to sure on your identification take a few photos with your camera/phone and share them.. I'm sure someone here will be able to help. For identification of fruit we need at least three photos:
- A view of the tree/bush so we can see its growth habit and the environment it's in
- A close-up of the fruit, sometimes an extra shot showwing the fruit cut in half or cut open to show the flesh and seed(s) can help
- A close-up of the leaf, it should show the leaf flat (or at least flat-ish)
Curently collecting recipes for The Little Book of Liqueurs..
Re: Foraging help for a newbie
Thanks for your reply, I definitely like the advice re the identification.
Now the hard work, finding the bounty!
Now the hard work, finding the bounty!