The Foragers' Thread

[Reynard]

Yesterday's trip to a new spot yielded two kilos of rowanberries.

Today was more impromptu as I was out erranding, but I have some cox apples from an abandoned tree in a nearby hedgerow where many moons ago there used to be a cottage, and I also found some walnuts too.

 

[gbb]

Yesterday's trip to a new spot yielded two kilos of rowanberries.

Today was more impromptu as I was out erranding, but I have some cox apples from an abandoned tree in a nearby hedgerow where many moons ago there used to be a cottage, and I also found some walnuts too.

I had to Google rowan berries and thought...aha, that's what I see regularly. Locally, there are lots of shrub and hedge edged public fields and paths, berries of all sorts abound.
Rowan, rose hip (red and black., blackberry, deadly nightshade, elderberries, blackthorn and more.
Deadly nightshade is a monumental no no of course.
I'm going to try rose hip tea soon, must motivate myself to get going...

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Damsons!

 

[Reynard]

Damsons!


View attachment 743727

Ooooh! I absolutely *love* damson jam.

I have a tree in my garden - first decent crop in a few years, and then last weekend's Storm Lilian fubared most of it Managed to salvage some of the fruit, and made damson & apple jam. Used some lovely early season cooking apples picked from the community orchard. Used equal quantities of apple & damson, and it's actually a very nice combo. Managed to get half a dozen pound jars.

 

[Reynard]

I had to Google rowan berries and thought...aha, that's what I see regularly. Locally, there are lots of shrub and hedge edged public fields and paths, berries of all sorts abound.
Rowan, rose hip (red and black., blackberry, deadly nightshade, elderberries, blackthorn and more.
Deadly nightshade is a monumental no no of course.
I'm going to try rose hip tea soon, must motivate myself to get going...

It's always worth moseying around to see what's available in the hedgerows. Rosehip makes a good jelly (together with apple) if you like the flavour. Rosehip is a bit like marmite.

Turned the rowan I picked into a batch of jelly. Basic recipe is as follows:

2lbs rowan berries (destalked)
2lbs apples, washed and cut up as is
10 allspice berries
1 good sized shard of cassia bark (the outer bark of cinnamon, available from chinese supermarkets)
2 pints water.

Put in a pan with a lid and cook gently till the rowan is very soft and the berries are beginning to pop. This will take somewhere between two to three hours as the skins are very tough. Mash the fruit pulp prior to straining.

Put in jelly bag overnight to drip out.

Then either 1lb sugar per pint of juice, or equal weight. The latter is easier if you know the weight of your preserve pan. Make as for any other jelly.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Ooooh! I absolutely *love* damson jam.

I have a tree in my garden - first decent crop in a few years, and then last weekend's Storm Lilian fubared most of it Managed to salvage some of the fruit, and made damson & apple jam. Used some lovely early season cooking apples picked from the community orchard. Used equal quantities of apple & damson, and it's actually a very nice combo. Managed to get half a dozen pound jars.

I have ~20 jars of damson, some "cheese" and some jam.

"Cheese" being made forcing fruit through a sieve first to remove stones, jam removing the stones after jamming.

Best jam of all, even beating blackcurrant IMO.

 

[Reynard]

I have ~20 jars of damson, some "cheese" and some jam.

"Cheese" being made forcing fruit through a sieve first to remove stones, jam removing the stones after jamming.

Best jam of all, even beating blackcurrant IMO.

Oooo, that's a tight one. I love blackcurrant jam, but no longer have any bushes after the drainage board ran over my currant patch with one of their big tracked machines

 

[Reynard]

Today's tally is two "bags for life" shopping bags full of walnuts. Downside of bagging them this early in the season is that they will have to be de-husked by hand. And that's a right messy job...

 

[Legs]

Found a good-sized chicken-of-the-woods on the trunk of my hawthorn tree on Saturday, so sliced it up, fried it and had it with chipolatas and homemade chips. Delicious!

 

[gbb]

Any tips on the best way to use fresh picked rose hips in tea ?

I topped and tailed mine, cut in half and extracted most/all the seeds etc then steeped in boiled water for maybe 10 minutes...but there's hardly any taste, colour change in the water.
Are mine not ripe enough, should I mash them to break them down more ?

 

[Reynard]

Any tips on the best way to use fresh picked rose hips in tea ?

I topped and tailed mine, cut in half and extracted most/all the seeds etc then steeped in boiled water for maybe 10 minutes...but there's hardly any taste, colour change in the water.
Are mine not ripe enough, should I mash them to break them down more ?

I'd dry them first if you're intending using them for tea, if I were you. Also, you need to wait till they are really red and starting to soften before picking.

 

[Reynard]

Another bicycular bimble yielded another "bag for life" full of walnuts. Well, two half bags, as I split the haul across both panniers.

Less fun was having to furkle among the nettles. My legs and fingers are more than just a little bit tingly.

 

[theclaud]

Found these last week (although this is actually last year's pic from the same spot, as I forgot to take photos this time). Poplar Field Caps. One of my favourite mushrooms and pretty easy to ID - they grow in big clusters on dead or dying poplar or willow, have a pleasing bread bun appearance from the top when young, get a crazy paving effect if they dry out, and have a lovely rich tobacco-brown spore print. Best of all, they usually come up several times a year.

 

[theclaud]

Blushers. These are edible and quite good but not really a beginners mushroom, as they closely related to deadly things.

 

[theclaud]

Blushers. These are edible and quite good but not really a beginners mushroom, as they closely related to deadly things.

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View attachment 745306

I had cut the base off when I took the pics, but it is bulbous!