What I foraged today!

[sparrow100]

Anyone made sloe gin this year?

I've been a little slow......excuse the pun. I've only got about 4 litres for Christmas what on earth will I do!!!!

Half my berries are still in the freezer - I leave mine to steep for 4-5 months so reckon I will have something lovely to sip for Easter, if I get a move on. Fortunately I have LOTS of sloe port, which is a fav second use of those gin-soaked sloes. hic!

[Mikey]

Well I froze mine for a week to trick them, though could have just been me!!

They've been steeping for about 4 weeks I think, they have taken on a nice ribena colour, so I'll be turfing them out and decanting in about another 4 weeks, if I can find some time.

[Creemteez]

Not wanting to make you sick to the back teeth, Mikey, but look what I found today!!! MMWWWAAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Weighing in at a whopping 211 gms (7.45 oz in old money). This has got to the peak of my foraging season! Now sliced and drying in a very low oven along with his little brother and the 700 gms of Bay Boletes I also collected. Don'cha just LURRRRVE mushroom time!!!

[veggiechicken]

Wow, CT, that's ginormous Yummy

[veggiechicken]

An interesting article about foraging!!
BBC News - Are food foragers unfairly maligned?

[mystictree]

Nettles and wild garlic are available at the moment here.

[cristalfiona]

Wild garlic yesterday in my meander through the woods, made a lovely addition to last night's dinner and it'll go in tonight's too!

[mothhawk]

Well, not today, but last weekend got a bag full of wild cherries. Made cherry crumble, cherry fool, and cherry ice cream, which is fabulous. Found a few wild raspberries too.

[Shadylane]

Foraged some cherries from in the village. Been living here 8 years and never knew there were foragable cherry trees here. Three black ones and one red. The red ones were beaut but going over so only got enough for some cherry vodka. The black ones are going into jam.

[Starling]

I'm currently building a pretty big one for some Abiu trees out of hardwood. It's turned out to be a bit of a headache because all the slats are different widths, and sizes--meaning I've got to cut them all to fit with a jigsaw.I'm about 75% happy with it so far, considering it is cobbled together from junk which is coming off an old shed I'm pulling down.
I still have to put on some bracing and level out the top for the rails, then hit it with some decking oil or something I guess.Raised wooden beds don't last long in Queensland. Very hot and humid--pretty much the worst environment for wood. Also, English wood is better than what we have in Australia, more rot resistant, stronger and more flexible . Australian hardwoods tend to splinter and warp easily.

[mothhawk]

I'm currently building a pretty big one for some Abiu trees out of hardwood. It's turned out to be a bit of a headache because all the slats are different widths, and sizes--meaning I've got to cut them all to fit with a jigsaw.I'm about 75% happy with it so far, considering it is cobbled together from junk which is coming off an old shed I'm pulling down.
I still have to put on some bracing and level out the top for the rails, then hit it with some decking oil or something I guess.Raised wooden beds don't last long in Queensland. Very hot and humid--pretty much the worst environment for wood. Also, English wood is better than what we have in Australia, more rot resistant, stronger and more flexible . Australian hardwoods tend to splinter and warp easily.

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????

have you posted this in the wrong thread Starling?

[mothhawk]

Today I foraged the first blackberries of the season, big and juicy, 600gms, or a pound and a quarter in old money. I've pureed them 'cos I hate the seeds in them, and I think I may turn them into ice cream, the cherry ice cream I made was fabulous.

[sparrow100]

Have had blackberries down here for the last 3 weeks *smugface*.

What I want to find are some elder bushes that haven't been stripped by s*dding pigeons!

[Dorothy rouse]

Thought I was being clever picking a load of 'sloes' , but now realise it's too early and although they looked ripe to me, probably aren't!

Did pick a load of blackberries the day before though. Looks like being a good year for blackberries.

[sparrow100]

I don't pick sloes till Sept/Oct, but then after last weekend I might not make sloe gin this year....kinda 'gone off' the flavour for now...