Foods for free. Anything you want to post about wild foods or foraging, hunting and fishing. Please note, this section includes pictures of hunting.
Sorry to say that Selfsufficientish or anyone who posts on here is liable to make a mistake when it comes to identification so we can't be liable for getting it wrong.
Having had a bit of a blip when it comes to foraging (both cats died so had a bit of plummet into the blues and couldn't face going out) I wanted to know whether whats still on the bushes is still ok to pick and use?
There still seems to be quite a few haws and hips around but how do I know if they are past their best? Is it as simple as if they look ok they are ok?
And is there anything else left to forage at this time of year?
What can be done with haws? I have hundreds in my garden and those bloody bushes owe me - the amount of cuts I have had from them over the year is ridiculous.
Ann Pan
"Some days you're the dog,
some days you're the lamp-post"
Well apparantly (have never tried this so don't quote me) you can make jelly from them in a similar way to rowanberries, and Ray Mears does this thing where he squishes them all up with a little water, strains them, then lets the mix set (loads of pectin in them) and the slices the resulting jelly into strips and dries them. Yummy apparantly.
Would like to give it a go if they're still usable on the bushes.
You'll find the quality of hips and haws quite variable at this time of year, some will be soft and maybe wrinkly (you don't want those ones!), but you can find others that are still firm and good to use.
From a slight distance, colour is a good indication on rosehips - if they look brownish red rather than a good bright scarlet they'll probably be squishy & soft to the touch. Very over the hill ones also tend to droop on their stems so don't bother with those. Anyway. I personally find soft hips a nightmare to process and they can taste a little off (slightly fremented even) so only pick the firm ones with good colour which will be easier to handle. One nice thing you can do with the squishy ones though is get a soft hip and nipping off the tail end where the stem was, give it a gentle squeeze between finger & thumb. You should get a tasty orange paste, free of the hairs and pips that also reside within. When they're at their best this paste is delicious and citrussy & great for a little nibbly treat when you're out walking.
Hawthorn haws are perfect to use when you find a tree full of good plump ones. Give them a slight squeeze and if you get a small amount of the yellow pasty pith between your finger tips, they're worth taking. When good, this paste tastes slightly like apple peel - the dark skin being mildly bitter but not unpleasant (don't eat the seeds). You can make a variety of things with them, sauces, preserves and yes, even Ray Mears's now famous natural jelly. However, I wouldn't describe it as yummy exactly, but it does have great potential for the addition of other more flavoursome fruit in small amounts (you don't want to thin the mix too much and possibly lose the gelling effect). Spices, chopped pieces of fruit such as apricots perhaps or even a natural food flavouring liquid could be added. Then it can be eaten as a jelly or dried into a chewy fruit leather.
I have a couple of files of recipes for hips & haws (too numerous to post here unfortunately) that I've gleaned on my travels around the 'net. If you're interested in trying them, you're welcome to pm me.
Chi vo far 'na bona zena magn'un erb d'tut la mena
