Topic: Hedgerow gifts

[landimad]

Well,
I went for a walk with the OH and winnie today and found a crop of free goodies in the hegerow which I thought would cheer up the evening meal.
I must say that they are a bit early for picking but I think a lovely addition to ice cream.

[Eristic]

Blackberries are nearly finished at this part of the country. :'(

[reddyreddy]

we're going picking in Windsor this afternoon, lovely spot the children love it!

[1066]

they look great Landimad. At this time of year it always pays to take a placcy bag on a walk with you - I'm waiting for the sloes  ;)
I have loads (of berries) at the back of my plot and I'm keeping an eye on them, had a few, but still waiting for the main crop to really ripen
1066

[manicscousers]

been picking the elderberries for some jelly  ;D

[plot51A]

We went out on Saturday were amazed at the amount of things we found. Picked some blackberries, but will return later for sloes, elderberries, hips and haws (for hedgerow jelly) found a crab apple tree and some things that were about large cherry size, looked like cherries but think they must be bullaces or wild plums. Should have taken a piccy before I boiled them up - more jelly making today!

[landimad]

See,
There are plenty of things to get for free. I am going out again at the weekend to see what else there is around the lanes and fields.
Good luck all in your free ventures, lets hope that they are fruitful too.

[ACE]

GIFTS! Surely you stole them. Who's hedge was it?

[BarriedaleNick]

I took a few pounds of blackberries from a local cemetry last week but they had very little flavour!  Very small as well...

[landimad]

Come on ACE, the food from common land is free and nobody can tell me otherwise.
For all I know the land has been common for centuries and nobody seems to know the original owner.
There is a footpath through it, and a large play area for the families to use.
All manner of plants have started to be planted by people from the locality.
Setting up hedgerows and trees to grow on the land. There has been an interest from the wildlife people as to what is coming onto the land, what stays and also what is breeding there.
I hope that no one tries to lay claim to it and then puts it up for development.
That would then cripple the wildlife who have set up home there.

[Emagggie]

Loads of plums on my daily dog walk, sloes look very small this year, blackberries ready very soon.
Plot51A, have you got a recipe for hedgerow jelly please? It sounds good.

[ACE]

You can dress up your foraging in anyway you like, you can convince yourself that it is your right. But the simple fact is that it is theft.

But I havn't the time to argue, I have to be off to pick the early mushrooms ;)

[OllieC]

The Theft act 1968 allows for a bit of foraging of fruit, flowers or mushrooms for personal use... No need to hand yourself in yet, landimad!!

[chriscross1966]

We went out on Saturday were amazed at the amount of things we found. Picked some blackberries, but will return later for sloes, elderberries, hips and haws (for hedgerow jelly) found a crab apple tree and some things that were about large cherry size, looked like cherries but think they must be bullaces or wild plums. Should have taken a piccy before I boiled them up - more jelly making today!

Hmm... A bullace look slike a rather big sloe on a tree that's got a few thorns ()but nothing like as many as a sloe) and it's not a big tree but it's definitely not a blackthorn bush.... we've got one out the back of work but it's only the third or fourth I've ever seen (there were a few growing in the back of a farm where I grew up...) By wild plum do you mean "damson"?./... they don't look much like cherries in my book.... it might be a morello cherry, they're small and don't taste good raw but are great cooked (though I love them dried too)

chrisc

[plot51A]

Chrisc - I think you are right, what we found were morello cherries having googled them. Thought it was much too late in the year for cherries, but they looked like cherries, leaves looked cherrylike, and they were quite sour raw. Never come across them before! If I'd known would have made jam, but couldn't face the de stoning so I have cherry jelly - but it tastes good  ;D
E maggie - no tried and tested recipe personally - Mother-in-law always made hedgerow jelly every year and went to great lengths (literally, I remember long car journeys round the Cambridgeshire countryside) to gather the contents! There are several good sounding recipes if you google.
Today I made Bramble jelly, the blackberries bulked up with a couple of Bramleys my kind lottie neighbour gave me and a swig of cassis that was lurking at the back of the cupboard - yum!

[Emagggie]

Thanks for that Plot 51a, will google (or even make it up as I go ;D :o).