Food for free

[gardendancer]

I voted other for why I'm not foraging now. I used to forage alot when i lived in Norway. berries, fruit, mushrooms. But now that I live in London it's a bit tricky. I'd be happy to go into kent for isntance to do some, but I just don't remotely know where to start here.

[gojiberry]

I used to forage but don't have the time or the need these days. The garden and lottie take up most of my time and I am overloaded with fruit from the lottie at the moment. The only thing I miss is the wild mushrooms.

Ian

[northepaul]

I forage for sloes mainly, also stinging nettles, chestnuts, blackberries and aliums. I would love to forage for more things, but a combination of knowledge and lack of areas to forage is a problem here.

[morverngirl]

Book on foraging

Heard an interview on my local radio the other day ,it was a chap who co wrote a book with Hugh FW from river cottage and it sounds as if gives lots of advice etc on what to pick etc, might help identify for those unsure what to pick.

[leicestershirelass]

I love to forage albeit only around our own smallholding. I've recently made dandelion wine, elderflower cordial and elderflower wine. Last year I made sloe gin, sloe and crabapple jelly, bramble jam as well as collecting cob nuts before the squirrels took them all!

Hoping to harvest elderberries this year - so will be on the lookout for recipes soon.

Like others I'd like to pick mushrooms but wary in case I plump for the wrong ones.

I also collect pine cones and beechnuts to add to winter fires as well as fallen trees / branches. Suitable branches are tidied up and used to support peas and beans.

Nettles are used to make insect spray and as compost activator - not been able to bring myself to try nettle tea or nettle wine!

I'm always on the lookout for new ideas in our quest to become more self-sufficient.

[weekendwellies]

I used to forage when my girls were small, we had a country park where there were raspberries, blackberries and I even found a plum growing wild. The plums were the size of grapes but what they lacked in size they made up for in quantity. It was well away from pollutants so I was confident they were 'clean'. The raspberries and blackberries were, however, covered in spiders and other creepies. But a good soak when we got home cleared these. (Yes, the girls ate a few while out picking them, I shut my eyes and told myself kids have done this for millennia and not so far as I know come to any harm.)
Since moving house and the girls growing older, I haven't gone foraging for quite a few years.
I worry about pollutants and contaminants and misidentifying plants.

[weekendwellies]

Can anyone recommend any good foraging websites/books? Would like to do more than just pick blackberries!

Thanks for any help!

found this : Wild Man Wild Food - Fergus Drennan the Forager

Hope it helps.

[Mac]

I forage as much as I can and my knowledge allows. Am a bit scared about 'shrooms, but can do chanterelles, puffballs, field and wood ok. Still waiting for elderflowers to come out and the glutton of wild raspberries which look like they're on their way. Best discoveries this year was the edibleness (?) of ground elder, and a rather large patch of wild garlic....both in an omlette was delish!

[glaw5]

Thanks for the link weekendwellies

[HeyWayne]

Other than the ubiquitous blackberry I don't think I'd know what to pick.

I'm sorry to say that we don't venture out for walks very often, so aren't exposed to places that would presumably allow more opportunity to forage even if we knew what it was we were looking for.

I've been on my bike before now and thought to myself "oh, I really should come back here and have those Elder flowers" but life gets in the way, and they get forgotten.

I'm ill prepared, in terms of knowledge, exposure and tools (bag/knife etc).

[tedlet]

Hello all,
foraging is a great way to eat...Wild Food Larder
Here you will read about recipes tips and courses. Andy Sartain is a true professionall and very helpful

[starloc]

I always look for anything i can get, because its better usualy than shop stuff, theres lots of it available, its free and it just piles up on the floor and rots if you dont pick some before it does

Ive been making a map for a few years of areas things are in, i tend to drive alot and at certain times of year i know where to stop as i drive past

This is the best tiome of year, a lot of my trees at home arent that old so you get some fruit, but not enough

I can get more than enough for entire family for free, and leave tons of stuff behind

starting the end of june, ive had allsorts of plums, gauges, cherrys and apples , rhubarb, blackberrys and raspberrys ,
it all slows down a bit in august as most of the plums run out but by the end of august we have a load of apples strarting, this week ive just found a few more trees of plums so i refilled some new types, all packed up in jars

just starting now theres loads more apples, damsons, pears, the apples and pears are continuous supply till january ( even in the ice this january there were many still fine )

Im amazed how many people leave things to go to waste, i cant see it being any more poluted than any shop bought non organic products its probably better.

i got about 100kg of horrid yellow plums at the start of august, they were falling off the trees, i got 3 black dustbins full , the trees were still full, about 10* 20 foot high trees, the rest fell on the floor and rotted, theres now thick brown sludge all over the place,

ive just taken some more realy ripe ones from the trees to eat fresh, they taste great once they are over ripe, the rest get cooked they are great turned into pie, stewed plums, fruit jellys etc

at the weekend i also got a car boot of apples and pears, the pears were a bit small but nice, especialy again when cooked and put in jars , or turned into pear schnapps , mostly they had fallen off in the wind, but some were ready to pick and perfectly ripe

[burnie]

I think I've mentioned it before,but Richard Mabeys little book from collins is always with me when foraging.I don't like mushrooms so I'm safe from them,but have tried most other things in the book in our area.From fish and shellfish(not tried the sea weed yet)from the shore to berries and ransomes from the hills.Ripening hazlenuts at the moment with one eye on the berries ripening.

[WhiteWolf]

We forage for fruits and berries, but not mushrooms as we don't know enough about them.

I was taught at an early age the following:

"If in doubt, leave it out"

WW

[bubblewrap]

Knowing where to go helps
Last year I got nearly 60lbs of blackberries.
I know where to get plums,apples(cooking & eating),pears,damsons,sloes & Mushrooms.
Why pay if you can get it for nowt.