The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: sandy on January 02, 2009, 08:53:43 pm
-
This year I am determine to crop lot's of wild stuff and know where I can find garlic, raspberries, brambles etc but what about other stuff, idealy I would like a calender with what to find at what time of year, I have RIver Cotage but need something more simple, so, anyone knows what to eat, find pictures so I do not pick some trippy stuff (well maybe) and when it is ready to pick, I will be realy happy as I love to collect stuff while I am walking the dogs... Sandy
-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Free-Richard-Mabey/dp/0002201593
hello Sandy,
I have had a copy of this book for 30 years plus (the one on this link is a new updated version), and I have actually lived on the stuff gathered following the book. I did it to see if it could be done... :o ::), well it can , although it is a very different diet to the norm !!! It is one of the best around, giving very clear descriptions, of where and when to find just about anything edible in the UK. I think it maybe just what you need ?
cheers
Russ
-
Thanks, we have an Amazon voucher and will order it in a mo, ready for gathering all that free food, maybe I will loose wieght, my brother has been eating some herbs and his health has improved but is not sure if it is what he eats or co incedence, anyway, I will give it a try!!
-
Just ordered the book now and have also ordered a book on walks in the area, I love living in Clackmannanshire, so much to see and so much to explore, we love to find things durring our walks and hope to make things for CHristmas, my SOn in law had some slow gin, not sure hwere to get the berries so I will soon find out, Thanks, Sandy
-
Sloes are the fruit of the blackthorn bush. They are abundant in England as they have hedgerows planted with the stuff. It's jabby though so wear gloves. You can grow it here, John and I planted a hedge of it a number of years ago. I must have a nosey next time I'm up north to see if the old man has pulled that out too. He laid chuckies over hundreds of pounds worth of sleeping plants and killed them all. If he'd said he was going to do it I'd have rescued tehm as I had a plan of the garden.
http://www.druidry.org/obod/trees/blackthorn.html
-
I thought I had not seen any here!! I used to be well up on plants as my brother is a Botanist and I used to know all sorts of stuff but I must have had a brain by pass as I forgot things. I also tasted some bramble Brandy, that was very nice, I still have loads of brambles from last year. I am going to buy an air rifle so we can go out shooting, we also need some farm to shot on
-
Remember I have pointing dogs if you need any help finding things to shoot. I think rabbits and pigeons are probably all you'll be allowed to shoot though as there is a close season for game birds, and an air rifle would need to be pretty up close to kill phessies or partridge anyway. I've noticed too that farmers are often very precious about shooting on their land other than what they class as vermin.
-
I hope you enjoy the book !!!! It will stand you in good stead on the foraging front. As for the air rifle , you will need a very powerful one to get bunnies , unless you make a hide and wait for hours freezing to death !!!..lol. My nephew hunts and he paid about £500 for a gas one to get bunnies....he has just sold it to get a Harris Hawk instead. My little air rifle is ok upto about 25 yards but you try and get that close to a bunny!!!! My longbow would be ok upto about 75 yards for a rabbit but it is illegal to use one on live prey . After 75 yards it would be just my poor shooting not the bow that would make me miss. I am still waiting for my nephew to come and hit the bunny population on my land. Sloes.....I have a few hundred yards of hedge of them , but they all go to waste really as I don't drink , so no sloe gin :o ::) I also have tons of blackberries when in season, so plenty of jam and crumble, still got to try to make jam with honey (from my bees) instead of sugar. I don't know if it will work ok ? it should do. If the bees make some honey this year (last year was really bad ) I must have a go . Got plenty of rosehips too , so I can keep up with the ole vitamin c thing , a large spoonfull a day is enough I think. Also got plenty of wild mushroom that pops up on the land , even magic mushrooms (which my dog eats and goes mental !!!) she really is out there on pluto after eating them . I try my best to clear them before she sees them ....only I could have a junkie dog !!!
good luck foraging when you get the book ;D
cheers
Russ
-
Hi Russ
Gosh you are a busy bee! Even if you don't drink you could make use of the sloes. Sloe or bramble(blackberry) gin or vodka is so easy to make and it would make excellent gifts. You probably couldn't sell it, you know what the law is like, but I can see the potential for it being a good bartering tool ;)
Annie
-
Hello Annie,
you are quite right about the sloe/blackberry gin being good for gifts, but most of my family have either given up drinking almost completely or they have a problem there , so I wouldn't want to be the one to add to it... ;D. The bartering side may well come in handy though , if things keep going as they are . The only problem there is I am almost completely broke and couldn't afford the gin in the first place.....I have thought about making a still though , to make ethanol for fuel . Ethanol being alcohol so I could go into the moonshine buisiness...lol (that was a joke any customs men reading). I have enough scrap to make a still , and can grow enough stuff to convert so , maybe worth having a go.....er for fuel that is ... not moonshine .... ::) ;D I watched the new version of Survivors on tv recently, and remembered the original from the seventies,so looked on youtube and there it was. It struck me about halfway through the first series, that I am doing what they were trying to do in the program...lol ...Oh well , if armageddon strikes I will be ok .
Now where are those still plans.....?
cheers
Russ
-
Sandy
If you are looking for sloes, head to Bridge of Allan, go up Blairforkie Drive (just after the Allan Water Cafe) and near the top of that road, by the end of the field on the left is a big blackthorn tree that bursts with sloes every year. There is also one further up on the same side & the Darn Walk between Bridge Of Allan & Dunblane is full of wild garlic come spring.
Also Drumdroles (my spelling here is rubbish) which is again further up the same road and next to a part of the darn path has a large old plum orchard that they are happy for you to pick plums from if you ask as they now just breed pheasants in there.
I've now moved up to near Blairgowrie so have to start the foraging map again! But already have gooseberries, chestnuts, brambles etc. map-marked!
-
Thanks, i can see a steady stream of TAS people gathering everything!!! I have never seen wild goosberries, I used to have some in a garden but they always got eaten before they rippened so I am amazed they can be cropped wild without being eaten. I still haven't got my book " Food For Free" it is on it's way, my brother is a botanist and spent years compiling information for the FLora and Forna of Great Britain and so, the group was asked to contribute to that book some years ago but they were very reluctant to pass on information as, at the time as they had put all the effort into gathering information from the whole of the UK, my rother spent many happy hours counting "weeds" Thanks again, Sandy
-
hi sandy, we have an old book called wild fruit and nuts by geoffrey eley ep publishing 1976, absolutely superb all uk hedgerow gathering food and loads of recipes for each one.............neil
-
Food for free arrived and I have found it facinating, I have a camper van (when it's back on the road) and I quite fancy taking a ride out later on in the year and gathering loads of stuff, with my partner and dogs. I also want to give wine a try and sloe Gin, I have never done it before. I think I will stay clear of mushrooms for now!!!! But it is certainly fun looking as I get board with just going for walks daily with my dogs and need something to collect, at the moment it is usualy weeds for the Chickens...Thanks, I will look out for that book, Sandy
-
I'll come with you sometime when Steve is working. I fancy doing some foraging too.
-
Go for the nettles when they come up - they make a really really lovely soup and can be used as a vegetable steamed by itself or in risotto etc. If you've never tried it, you'll be very pleasantly surprised :) and it's really good for you, lots of iron. Go for the young tops when they come up in the spring and stay away from patches near dog walking throughfares ;)
We are lucky enough to live where bilberries are relatively plentiful, I've also harvested cowberries (lingonberries by another name), bog cranberry (so much sweeter than anything you find in the shops, they're like little jewels full of nectar) and cloudberry - not in any great quantity, but it's a grand day out nevertheless.
-
Already noticed the recipe for nettle soup, I will give that a try, there are also lot's of ideas for young leaves in the book, particularly Hawthorn, all the hedges around will be bare!!! No but I will give them a try. Where abouts are you? I am in central Sotland and will have to look up all those fruits!!! I'm off to make tea now, just stuff from a supermarket for now, and not natures pantry, Thanks Sandy
-
Sandy, we should have taken your book with us on our dog walk today! Didn't think of it at teh time, might have given us some ideas.
Annie
-
Well there are always loads of nettles, where I go they may need a wash due to dogs!!!! anyway, nettle soup here we go!!!!!! we could have a cook in!!! P.S. Islay has a cut near her eye but is OK, Loved my tat tar, Sandy
-
Oops, sorry about that - maybe need to get that muzzle for Hester. What's the tat tar?
-
A lot of people take thier dogs for tatar's as in wave buy buy, or walkies, not sure of the spelling, I make words up that look OK....Out at work this weekend, in and out more than the people on a swiss clock!!!!!! Steve is logging with Tom and is loving it!!! must be the same farm you were tlking about, are they on this forum as the farm is hard to get t but is South of Gartmore, Sandy
-
Rosemary may know if Jane is on here, although tbh I haven't seen sign of her. Didn't twig about the tat tars - oops again! Not much in the way of 'walkies' for my lot today with all that rain. Thank goodness they are happy to have a good run round the half acre at the back then for a change do the same at the front. Fortunately Donald (my son) managed to re-fit the gates under the railway bridge so they can't get out of the front garden and onto the railway line now! It was a bit scary when I found them missing one time and when calling them they appeared outside the garden! They had run along the burn and under the bridge into the field across the lane!
-
'ello again
if you decide to take your dogs for a walk up Dumyat, then the wee burn opposite the usual car parking spot on the Sheriffmuir road has a massive amount of mint as well!
oh & Dumyat is also good for magic mushrooms (ahem!) & heather tops for making heather beer
Lossburn Resi usually has loads of shaggy inkcaps when in season
And wild hawthorn leaves are quite good in a salad, I don't think they have a huge taste but they do have a nice crunch to them
The back road to Dunblane is also a treasure trove of foraging fun with wild garlic, wild chives, mushrooms etc. all usually in great abundance as no-one in "upper bridge of allan" seems to indulge in some wild food - they're all too posh, opps & I used to live there!
happy foraging, get the food for free book (the tiny pocket sized one is ideal) & for shrooms the river cottage handbook no1 Mushrooms by John wright is a bloody fun read but also chock full of piccies and ways of identifying 'shrooms - it has become my bible....
"if in any doubt, go without" is always a good moto when foraging for wild grub! ;D
-
I carn't waite to get out forraging, it would be nice to get my VW camper back on the road as I can brew up a tea or coffee to warm up or cool down!!! and have a break while I forrage and of course to load all the "goodies" into...I miss my V Dub bus, 1971 and still going stong, just needs breaks sorting and a bit of :Pwelding then...I'm offffffffffffffff..Thanks, my mouths watering already!!
-
Already noticed the recipe for nettle soup, I will give that a try, there are also lot's of ideas for young leaves in the book, particularly Hawthorn, all the hedges around will be bare!!! No but I will give them a try. Where abouts are you? I am in central Sotland and will have to look up all those fruits!!! I'm off to make tea now, just stuff from a supermarket for now, and not natures pantry, Thanks Sandy
I'm up in the far north, not far from Thurso. You might be lucky enough to have some peat bog somewhere near you, all remaining areas of peatland are protected now and that's the place to look for cranberries. I visited Kirkconnell Moss a few years back and it was 'polluted' with the things, as they say! Not sure about foragers rights in protected areas though, if it's looked after by one of the environment agencies they can be very sniffy about that. I don't think they can legally stop you though, leave enough for the next person and you should be okay. Bilberries - not sure where you are, you might need to head north west, but there are local patches in unexpected places. Happy hunting!
-
My sister bought me a cranberry plant at Christmas from Sterling in Tilly. The blurb with it says it grows prolifically but it's a in a pot at the moment. I'll probably transplant it into the ground once I find the best place for it. Wish I'd bought more now - don't know if they still have them.
-
count me in on that too
not to bad on tree/wildlife ident (well i did study both of them in college and my tutors would kill me ifi didn't know them by now lol)
also have plenty of books for clue
not very good on mushrooms though.
but we could start up a foraging group ?
early in the morning or something
linz
-
What a great idea - Fife Foragers?
-
forth Valley foragers? just an idea
might help with exercise for people in this new year?
Give me a location, map or gps, and i'll am like a blood hound lol
-
Blimey, may need some sort of uniform or outfit, what do you think, pink wellies, so you can see what your feet are sinking into and of course to keep you dry, wooly hat, or maybe a balaclava, to protect the hair and face from brambles etc, hiking trousers to stop thorns getting you!! underneath maybe some tights and thick socks, camoflague (not sure of that spelling)Jacket with swiss army style pokets everywhere as well as being waterproof, somewhere for your phone, flask, pen knife, plastic bags hanky first aid kit, sandwhiches, torch (just in case) map, pen and paper, glasses, and maybe lip balm and hand cream!!!!! We also MUST have bags or baskets!!! I can see us now, wish I could put a picture on here as I have an urge to draw somthing.....Great idea anyway, Sandy
-
Annie, raise it with Euan Hills, our Countryside Ranger, tomorrow night.
There used to be loads of blaeberries at Schawpark Golf Course. When I was a child, Dad and I used to pick them, then Mum made blaeberry jam.
-
Sandy's coming too so we'll see if we can get something started on the foraging side - Forth Valley Foragers is good - I couldn't think of anything else than Fife being close - how stoopid is that! Duh!
-
on my side of thing i contacted Tracy Gibson (community Development Officer0 who in turned told me to contact cvs who have a person who is doing a green mapping for local area.
So i'll have to contact them. Also Tracy said if it is to be set up as a proper group there might be comunity funding availble.
-
This is a great thread....the whole foraging idea is GREAT and well done to you guys for getting on with it!!!
I can add something to the discussion...masses of wild raspberries to be found through July (weather permitting of course) at Polkemmet Country Park between Harthill and Whitburn. I picked around 3 kilos on one afternoon in August with a friend and that was fairly late in the season. We promptly made raspberry vodka and are still drinking it *hic*
Also it made a fantastic alcoholic base for trifle which we consumed at Christmas :)
There are also wild blackcurrants there and brambles but we were too early to pick them at that point.
Almondell Country Park in Broxburn also has masses of wild garlic (ramsons) in April/May.
Martin.
-
I love comming home from walks with my dogs with my gifts!!! I always have something, even if it's just some nettles or greens for my chickens. I have a 1971 VW camper and my dream would be to chug around with the dogs in that, stop off at places, gather stuff, take a tea break and chug on some more and have a lunch break then chug home full of forraged things, best sense of achievemnet and good to clear your head!! Sandy
-
you are right, Sandy...there is nothing like knowing you have collected edible 'treasures' for a meal or to help fill your larder.
A friend and I collected lots of elderberries in the autumn and made some pontack and some rosehips which we made into delicious syrup.
Oh...and me and my partner own a VW camper too....a bay window from 1978! Who knows...we may pass you on the road sometime :)
Martin
-
We have owned a VW for about 12 years, Bumble is our third and we have had her around 6 years, we drove to Scotland in Bumble when we moved and it was running great, then I left it a few weeks and the battery went flat but after buying a new battery, off it chugged than the MOT had run out so we left it again, I since took it to a garage and they said it only needed new brake's and some welding on the chasis, that was in August and we promised a local friend he could drive it up to Loch Lommond and we would treat him to a meal and I was going to England for Christmas in it laden with bit and bobs and some homemade bramble and apple pies but of course it is still in the garage, I am a bit peeved but cannot do much about it now as I don't suppose it will run and I don't know anyone w
else close to take those jobs on, more of a problem is our savings put aside to get it done are depleting!!!!! I shall be realy happy when I get it back, it was named Bumble, due to the colour's, by a friend, anyway, I realy hope to get in some good foraging, most days I come back with stuff for the chickens and I have places earmarked already for Raspberries, Brambles and Strawberries as well as wild Garlic and other herbs, well I am rambling on a bit but carn't waite to get started properly, Sandy...has your VW a name?
-
hey Sandy,
Sorry to hear about the problems with Bumble. We use a garage based in Grangemouth called 'Automotive'. The owner there, Graham, is really into classic cars and especially camper vans. He has a lovely bay camper of his own which he has restored from scratch and we entrusted our van to him too when we got it done a few years ago. He made a lovely job of the body restoration and a new paint job. He's done quite a few of them and really knows what he is doing. I can thoroughly recommend him!! Plus he is reasonable price-wise!!
Yeah, all these goodies around the countryside - it's great fun treasure seeking and then finding them. Don't forget to mark an 'x' on the treasure (forager's) map!!
Oh yeah, our camper, although not actually christened, is often referred to as 'Morag'. :)
Martin.
-
I am a dreadful wimp but I may pluck up some corrage and take my Camper somewhere else, that is is it moves now after 6 months sitting in his yard, maybe the garage wants me to take it somewhere else? Anyway, thanks for that, we moved here from Leicestershire and I knew lot's of people and places that specialised in VW's as I said this is our third, the last two were bought by the same people over a space of 4 years, they took bits from each and now have a mixed heratage camper van!!!!
-
hiya all when do you want to get the ball rolling ? with the foraging, Is it to cold/early to start now?
is there something someone want to collect this time of year?
Linz
-
Hi. I generaly go out with my dogs dialy and pick up stuff for the chickens but there is not much about where I go, not even many nettles, I will look at my book but the problem I have is time, we have guests now and I go out when I can as it is hard to make a time often BUT, will see if we can all go out together at least once a week and find stuff each month, not keen on fungi finding as they all look a bit similar to each other and I am not sure I want to chance it....I will be back later after checking out what to look for, not bothered about the cold or wet.... I also work pt so have to fit that in as well, CU soon Sandy
-
you could look for some ICE ......if you look hard enough you should find some somewhere.
as for fungi , you could always try it on the guests first !!! Timing would be the only problem there .....ie ..last breakfast , :o bill paying ..... ::) ::)
cheers
Russ
-
I find lot's of ice but it is hard to transport home as for some strange reason it's always gone, none in my freecycled carrier bag, when I get home with all my other bit's!!!! I dare not try fungi, I am such a guilty person. For Christmas I had some mushroom's to plant, I shall have to look up the spelling otherwise I will be a laughing stock. They need planting in a tree trunk, I have loads of them, anyway, I have just been to Clackmannan Tower, the wind was blowing cold but it was very refreshing, I have some dock leaves and a few dandelion leaves for my chickens, that's all folks, now I had better do something and untangle my hair....Sandy
-
I am a dreadful wimp but I may pluck up some courage and take my Camper somewhere else
I'll come with you - just phone when you want to go round. We can take it to David along from me if youm want.
-
Thanks, I can hide behind you then ;D. Who is David? I have booked my CItron into Kennet tomorrow so I will have a nice walk home with my dogs, hope that isn't 6 months comming back, I have work!!! Did you get the pet food and mussel? Have you done those books? I need to do mine :'( :'( :'( :'(
-
Books away to the Auditor - Yippee, can come on here now and not feel guilty about it. Kennet garage is David! Ask him about the Bumble. Should take you a bit more than 10 minutes to here then another 10 to you - maybe a tad more but not much longer than half an hour all told I would think. I'm going to Aberdeen tomorrow or I'd have taken you there. Will be back Saturday, but then off to Edinburgh on Sunday (dog shows ;)) Got the pet food and the muzzle for Hester (she isn't a bad dog - absolutely adores people, especially my grandchildren, but hates other bitches so can't let her off lead for walks which she needs for exercise) Need that dog whisperer, Rosemary!
-
Right, the only food stuff right now are fungi...truffles (where could we look for them?) and nettles, I look for them all the time as my chickens love them, they hurt this time of year, a funny sort of numbness, quite nice realy.... Everywhere seems realy slippy as well, is it me or does anyone else talk to "mother nature" when I try to get some treat and get caught up in brambles or tread in doggy dooo's, I think I am being stopped and say to her, Ok, I will be careful, let me take some!!! or, I go somewhere else. Often the best produce is hidden behind brambles or just out of reach, so the task is a challange, the winner takes the spoils...Now, I am not realy that mad so do not say " talking to yourself is the first sign" I mean, I talk in my head...I think....
-
no comment sandy lol,
hiding things is way that nature insure that it survives.
Linz