What I foraged today!

[Thelma Sanders]

I picked blackberries this evening and found an elderberry Let's hope nobody else finds it before I pick them tomorrow

[Farmer_Gyles]

Have also found a huge walnut tree, a few cobnut (hazelnut) trees and a couple of beech trees but not sure if the beech nuts actually have nuts in them ....

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Picked about 2kg blackberries yesterday from a different location. Amazed at the size of some of them. Elderberries not ripe here yet. Will check again soon.

[Mikey]

Last week I picked

2 kg of blackberries from 4 different locations (I only pick the heavy ripe ones, made jelly)
1 kg of elderberry from the allotment hedge (made into a syrup for winter colds)
A dozen ceps, a hat full of field mushrooms, an arm full of chicken in the wood, a couple of beefsteaks and a couple of blushers.
Constantly grazing on hazelnuts
Got my eye on a few crab apple trees for next weekend to make blackberry and apple jelly
Will be picking sloes later this week and pop into the freezer, its a good year for sloes.
Will be picking himalayan balsam for autumn champagne as soon as I can make a bit of time.

[binley100]

Elderberries are only just ripening here .......
Today I foraged cookers off next doors tree ....

[chris]

A carrier bag *full* of blackberries. Found a gold mine for them around work, which is handy.. Have seen a few wild plums, and sloes though they don't look ready yet. Planning on going to take a look when I'm not out to lunch with one of the guys from my team

[Creemteez]

HA! After years of fruitless (dah-dum, pisshh!) search, I was thrilled to find a small, but laden Damson tree growing at the side of the cycle path that is one of my regular dog walks. Went back yesterday and managed to pick just over a pound of fruits - sadly a lot were well out of my reach even with the use of a walking stick "hook". However, supplemented with a few blackberries, elderberries and crab apples, I now have four jars of "Autumn Glory Jelly".

[Nicos]

4kg of dark plums.

bit of a cheat as it's not a true forage...but....
We were driving past a friend's house ( it's a holiday home) when I saw loads of plums on the floor.
I suddenly remembered she'd said we could help ourselves as they wouldn't be here!
18 pots of jam later....

..and yeh- I've put several pots on one side for her

[Mikey]

I've had my eye on what I believe to be 4 plum trees, I'm just waiting for them to fully ripen. The one question mark for me is they are very near some sloes and I struggle to tell the difference between them. The plums in question are a little fuller and the trees are thornless. There is still some bitterness in the bite and they are still quite small in comparison to shop bought plums. Is it normal for plums to stay purple while growing?

[Mikey]

So they are damsons. a type of plum...

cool.

[chris]

Perhaps they're damsons? I picked a load of ripe damsons, they were bitter to eat raw, but once cooked - amazing (made damson and whiskey jam!)

[chris]

d'oh replied as you must have been replying

[MrsCordial]

Damson is my favourite jam ingredient! I've just made a small amount of damson & apple jelly with damsons from a branch that fell off the tree of someone my mother knows. My husband looks after the computers of an elderly friend of ours whose damson tree is always groaning with fruit at this time of year, and she always gives us shedloads in return for the help, so my damson jam-making has barely begun.

I've just been along our lane collecting elderberries, and a few rosehips. I'll have to go to Morrison's car park for proper elderberry quantities, to the same spot where I got the flowers for cordial

[hamamelis]

About 2lb of damsons- there were plenty more, but they weren't all properly ripe yet. I'm not actually sure what to do with them... Maybe damson gin?

[Mikey]

Well, I did start a thread on season to taste looking for recipes hamamelis, but everyone seems a little shy to respond. I put a few of my own suggestions there mind...