What's in season? The foraging thread

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?
left the forum March 2023

Comments

  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    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.
  • A slight tangent but with some year round effort I can meet my firewood needs through foraging
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 7,193
    I've heard the government are looking for a money tree if anybody finds one on their travels.
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,121
    edited January 2021

    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.
  • never heard of bilberries
    left the forum March 2023
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 27,485

    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)?
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  • ballysmate
    ballysmate Posts: 15,921

    never heard of bilberries

    :o:open_mouth:

    A bastard 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
    orraloon Posts: 12,608
    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
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    Used to go foraging when I was a kid. Mainly potatoes, peas and apples...
    Ben

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  • 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...
    left the forum March 2023
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686

    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.
    Ben

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  • david37
    david37 Posts: 1,313
    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 s hit instead.
  • david37 said:

    So she has to pick up their censored instead.

    Probably very hard ones...
    left the forum March 2023
  • Ben6899 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...
    left the forum March 2023
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686

    Ben6899 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.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
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  • elbowloh
    elbowloh Posts: 7,078
    Ben6899 said:

    Ben6899 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.
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