Forage of the Month - a Challenge

[Mikey]

Quiet day in work VC everyone is out gardening clearly!!!!

It's always nice to return especially when you start a topic on my favourite pastime.

[veggiechicken]

I only started it to tempt you back........................and it worked

[Mikey]

Since our not quite so mushroom foray up in Hereford, I've been expanding my repertoire year on year.

While there is a very good mushroom which cannot possibly be confused with anything else out at the moment, for legal reasons I'll say nothing about the subject. Scouts honour...

[veggiechicken]

I've heard there are plenty of chickens roaming the woods at the moment.

[Mikey]

Yes they are all out foraging wild bounty, yew best avoid them, but carry an oak stick for leverage, just in case.

[Nicos]

Lovely to see you back Mikey!

[Mikey]

Never very far away in thought or deed, just don't always have the time to call in for a natter these days.

[Nicos]

Good to see you when you do

[Mikey]

Who is currently collecting Blackberries and Elderberries, or rosehips and hawberries for that matter? We are also entering the season of the mushroom (mmm... porcini) for all those experienced in gathering.

Every day when out walking the dog, I'm picking something out of the hedgerow at the moment. There's still a few Hazelnuts around, though the squirrels have harvested and stored most. Elder is easy to spot at this time of year as the leaves are one of the first to start turning yellow, so you'll see a hedgerow full of bramble hawthorn and elder and the Elder in sunny spots will already be yellow. This might have already gone over if you are in the South of England or not quite ripe yet further North.

Elderberry Syrup

Simple recipe which is lovely added to yoghurt and granola or used as a warm drink. It's packed full of Vitamin C and antioxidants but, remember to research it's other properties before using, as it's not recommended for pregnant women.

Equal quantities of Elder Berries and Caster or Granulated Sugar (whichever you have to hand)
A little Water

Strip the Elderberries off the stems with a fork, just run through the heads and the berries pop off easily. The berries will often get a few bugs like vine weevil in them, so it's worth soaking in a large bowl of water first to see what floats to the surface. Drain and Weigh, adding the same volume of sugar.
Add the Elderberries, and Sugar to a saucepan, and a little water just enough to stop the fruit from catching in the pan. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer and cover for about 10-15 minutes until the fruit is soft. If you like a little more acidity to your fruit fillings you can add the rind and juice of a lemon or two dependent on the weight of elder, 1 lemon per 500g of fruit is generally enough.
Drain the fruit through a muslim cloth and leave to hang over a bowl/saucepan for about 10-12 hours, leaving it overnight is best. If like me you like to get the most juice you can out, and choose to squeeze the muslin cloth when cold remember to wear gloves, this stains like no-ones business and your hands will be blood red like beetroot, and from experience no amount of scrubbing will remove it for a day or 2.
Add the strained liquor to sterile jam jars or small bottles and pop back into a saucepan of water to create a tight seal on the closed jars. This will keep as well as any jam but, I'd recommend refridgerating once opened.

You need about 1-2 teaspoons a day per person as a cold or flu preventer, or for a general immune system boost, too much though can act as a diuretic. Note - the stems and leaves of the elder have cyanide inducing properties, so make sure to strip and use just the berries for this recipe.

Happy Foraging

[mothhawk]

Who is currently collecting Blackberries and Elderberries, or rosehips and hawberries for that matter? We are also entering the season of the mushroom (mmm... porcini) for all those experienced in gathering....

The blackberries round here finished mid August - far too dry for them to last, but I collected a lovely lot mid July. And this year I saw very little elder flowers and have seen no berries worth collecting.

Today I did get about one and a half pounds of wild damsons, but these are also not very abundant this year, and they were quite small, I de-stoned them with the cherry stoner. Lovely flavour though - made a crumble with them.

Also got a few apples from a tree gone wild in a nearby spinney. Again lack of rain since April has left them very small and I only got enough to freeze a couple of pounds.

I don't collect rosehips 'cos I'm not really sure what to make with them, apart from syrup, which doesn't seem worth all the effort involved. (And brings back childhood memories of Delrosa )

[Mikey]

Someone beat me to my damson haunt, picked enough to add to my sloe gin for a slightly sweeter flavour though.
I'm still picking Elderberry, roughly 2-3 doggie bags a week, mainly from sheltered spots now out of the wind. Along canal sides is still a good spot to find them.