What's in season? The foraging thread

ugo.santalucia

During lockdown 1, we had plenty of time to walk in the woods and pick up edible stuff, here's the highlights of 2020 and something to look forward to for 2021

February: nettles for soups and young dandelion for salads
March/April: wild garlic aplenty, for soups, omelettes and pesto

August: damsons and plums for crumbles and jam. Apples for crumbles, wild pears, again for crumbles. Blackberries galore and the rare wild raspberry.
September: hawthorn berries for ketchups and brown sauce, sloe berries for gin, early hip rose for jelly and ketchups

Anyone can fill the gap in the early summer months?

bompington

Well, around here you currently have a choice of snow, ice or mud

But yes, foraging is a delight and we enjoyed it a lot in lockdown 1. Best haul, possibly, was about 2kg of wheat that was lying on the ground in the field at the back of the house. Made pretty decent bread.

surrey_commuter

A slight tangent but with some year round effort I can meet my firewood needs through foraging

focuszing723

I've heard the government are looking for a money tree if anybody finds one on their travels.

thistle_

ugo.santalucia said:

During lockdown 1, we had plenty of time to walk in the woods and pick up edible stuff, here's the highlights of 2020 and something to look forward to for 2021

February: nettles for soups and young dandelion for salads
March/April: wild garlic aplenty, for soups, omelettes and pesto

August: damsons and plums for crumbles and jam. Apples for crumbles, wild pears, again for crumbles. Blackberries galore and the rare wild raspberry.
September: hawthorn berries for ketchups and brown sauce, sloe berries for gin, early hip rose for jelly and ketchups

Anyone can fill the gap in the early summer months?

Here you go:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/foraging/
https://www.countryfile.com/how-to/foraging/monthly-foraging-guide-whats-in-season-where-to-find-it-and-how-to-forage-responsibly/

Nettles seem to be around here all year round. Chickweed also seems to be readily available but I've no idea what it is.
Elderflower in June.
Wild strawberries and bilberries in July apparently, although I think the strawberries are rare.

ugo.santalucia

never heard of bilberries

rjsterry

bompington said:

Well, around here you currently have a choice of snow, ice or mud

But yes, foraging is a delight and we enjoyed it a lot in lockdown 1. Best haul, possibly, was about 2kg of wheat that was lying on the ground in the field at the back of the house. Made pretty decent bread.

How did you grind it (assuming you don't have an actual quern in the kitchen cupboard)?

ballysmate

ugo.santalucia said:

never heard of bilberries

A censored to pick because they are so small.
Cannock Chase used to be a plentiful source years ago. Don't know about now though.
I still remember the purple fingers as a kid after spending the day blackberry picking.
Homemade blackberry and apple pie is Ambrosia.

orraloon

Called blaeberries in the northern lands. Too small and fragile to harvest so best to just graze a few and enjoy the sweetness there and then. In late summer that is.

Ben6899

Used to go foraging when I was a kid. Mainly potatoes, peas and apples...

ugo.santalucia

Ben6899 said:

Used to go foraging when I was a kid. Mainly potatoes, peas and apples...

You mean stealing from allotments? Never heard of wild potatoes or peas...

Ben6899

ugo.santalucia said:

Ben6899 said:

Used to go foraging when I was a kid. Mainly potatoes, peas and apples...

You mean stealing from allotments? Never heard of wild potatoes or peas...

From fields.

david37

Whats in Season? the fox that lives in my garden given the amount of daylight multifox action recently.

Cant shoot them, the mrs wont have it. So she has to pick up their censored instead.

ugo.santalucia

david37 said:

So she has to pick up their censored instead.

Probably very hard ones...

ugo.santalucia

Ben6899 said:

ugo.santalucia said:

Ben6899 said:

Used to go foraging when I was a kid. Mainly potatoes, peas and apples...

You mean stealing from allotments? Never heard of wild potatoes or peas...

From fields.

Not sure that qualifies as foraging...

Ben6899

ugo.santalucia said:

Ben6899 said:

ugo.santalucia said:

Ben6899 said:

Used to go foraging when I was a kid. Mainly potatoes, peas and apples...

You mean stealing from allotments? Never heard of wild potatoes or peas...

From fields.

Not sure that qualifies as foraging...

Of course it doesn't. I basically used to steal [mainly] peas out of farmers' fields.

elbowloh

Ben6899 said:

ugo.santalucia said:

Ben6899 said:

ugo.santalucia said:

Ben6899 said:

Used to go foraging when I was a kid. Mainly potatoes, peas and apples...

You mean stealing from allotments? Never heard of wild potatoes or peas...

From fields.

Not sure that qualifies as foraging...

Of course it doesn't. I basically used to steal [mainly] peas out of farmers' fields.

I think i did that once or twice. Only to eat a one or two whilst we were there, never to take home.