Allotments 4 All

Just been called a freegan at work today, which I took as a compliment!

After years of watching Hugh FW and combined with the summers weather all the freebie foods are coming thick and fast. Don't know why I bother growing stuff. This year has already seen me with

Bags of apples, plums, blackberries and damsons plus mushrooms and (ahem) brown trout. May have a session looking for some sweet chestnuts come winter.

Whats everyone else been enjoying for nowt?

Crab Apples, Damson/Bullaces, sloes, elderberries, loads and loads of blackberries, and if they ripen right, some hazel/cobnuts.

How do you identify a sweet chestnut tree? And what kind of areas do they grow in (ie by rivers, in fields etc)

 :'(Just blackberries. (which I love)

Only had our very overgrown plot since July, and as the soil is very heavy clay it had baked rock hard during the heatwave.  Only been able to start digging in the last couple of weeks.

The only thing growing on there are tons of blackberries, but very generous souls who have wonderfully productive and tidy plots have supplied us with onions, courgettes, spuds, marrows, beans, lettuces and lots of other bits and bobs.  Regretfully had to turn down the toms as have got pots of 'em growing in the garden.

Always get my apples for free.  Mum-in-law has huges trees of cookers and eaters in her garden.

I love hugh FW too.  Man after my own heart!

Lovely word, freegan.  Must remember that.  My ex son-in-law called himself a meatetarian, coz he didn't like veg. Strange chap, no wonder he's an ex.  Have got the current one into gardening.  He can stay!

Trout and Pheasants... on a swap system...
;D

blackberries, tayberries, raspberries, potatoes,courgettes given by next door, and fat hen. As I'm so good at growing weeds I decided to dig out my Richard Mabey Book, "Food For Free", and see if I could eat them. Very nice it was too! Bit like spinach.

i havent picked any yet, but there are puffballs aplenty round here at the minute.
i just have to wait till i am not in work to go get them ;D

Apples, plums, pears, greengages, damsens, bullace, sloes, blackberries, elderberries, crabapple, rowan berries, rosehips in a couple of weeks, grapes, and cherries.  ;D  Rabbits and mackerel.

Hi Moggle

Sweet Chestnuts are easy to identify as there casings do not have spikes as the Horse Chesnt does ,sorry for the non technical names?

Happy Hunting

Hi moggle, the bark also has a spiral habit like a corkscrew (amazing what you remember from those I-Spy books ::))

Quote from: chrispea27 on September 08, 2006, 07:27:48
Hi Moggle

Sweet Chestnuts are easy to identify as there casings do not have spikes as the Horse Chesnt does ,sorry for the non technical names?

Happy Hunting

I'm pretty sure that Sweet Chestnut casings are actually covered in spikes so much trickier to open.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Chestnut

Yes they are!!  My fingers and thumbs are like pin cushions after foraging for sweet chestnuts.  Very, very prickly casings.

Alison

Cheers guys, I think there might be one not far from me. It's just inside the grounds of a school, but right by the fence so any that fall on the footpath should be fair game!  :)

Quote from: Moggle on September 07, 2006, 16:35:34
Crab Apples, Damson/Bullaces, sloes, elderberries, loads and loads of blackberries, and if they ripen right, some hazel/cobnuts.

How do you identify a sweet chestnut tree? And what kind of areas do they grow in (ie by rivers, in fields etc)

There are 2 chestnut trees in our work car park butdid not think i could eat them.....

well what can i say... madgies aplenty come the rains, how lucky am I?!! :o

We' ve two huge sweet chestnut trees here in the grounds of this block of flats where I live......but they all seem very tiny and hardly formed properly when they drop.....sometimes have picked them up but just find them so very fiddly to try and peel to eat (altho they're lovely & sweet if I do succeed) and not got a nice open fire to roast them!

Will have a look around again - maybe I give up too soon.