Good Food Blog

Feast for free

Posted at 11:15AM, 28 August 2008 by Carol Wilson - food writer

As the last weeks of summer stretch into early autumn, this is the best time of year to go foraging for wild fruits; autumn hedgerows, moorlands and canal towpaths provide a treasure trove of delicious seasonal fruits such as blackberries and bilberries and hazelnuts or filberts. Part of the pleasure for me is the satisfaction of getting something for nothing!

Open quotationIt's inevitable that fingers and faces will be streaked with inky juices!Close quotation

Children love to go blackberrying; I give out plastic boxes (with lids) and we have great fun seeing who can fill theirs first. I take some wipes along, as it's inevitable that fingers and faces will be streaked with inky juices! I like to eat the juicy purplish berries raw, when they're soft and full of juice, with perhaps a sprinkling of sugar and some thick cream or yogurt. I sprinkle raw blackberries into trifle and over a bowl of breakfast cereal or porridge, add a couple of handfuls to an apple pie or crumble just before baking, and of course they make terrific jam and jelly. Puréed blackberries are also fantastic with roast pork or game. The soft berries quickly become mushy, but will keep in the fridge for a day.

Purplish-blue bilberries or blueberries have a faint dusty 'bloom' and tart flavour. Picking them is quite laborious, as the moorland shrubs grow only around 30cm high, but well worth it, as the small berries are delicious eaten with cream and sugar or made into tarts, puddings and pies.

Hazelnuts, freshly picked in their green husks, are succulent with a delicate, milky flavour. I roast the nuts to bring out their full flavour. Spread them on a baking tray and put into a preheated moderate oven for 5-8 minutes only -watch them as they burn easily. Put the hot nuts in the centre of a clean tea towel; pull the towel up around the nuts and twist tightly. Rub briskly to remove the skins. Add the nuts to bread dough and cake mixtures or mix into melted chocolate for an indulgent treat.

Foraging for wild food is fun and has become fashionable again as we all try to reduce food miles and cut the household budget; even celebrity chefs are joining in and extolling the virtues of local wild foods. A word of caution though - make sure that you pick only berries growing away from busy roads, as those growing at the roadside will be contaminated with exhaust fumes. And do remember - don't eat anything unless you know for certain what it is!

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Comments

  • Binder photo Chris Pakett
    29 August, 1:39PM

    Chris Pakett

    Open QuoteCan I suggest that as well as boxes, take along walking sticks. They are useful for pulling out of reach branches closer. I must say though not all children enjoy blackberrying, I hated it as a child, I found it boring . The walking stick helped in many ways to pass the time, much to my Mother's annoyance. Having homemade blackberry jam made it worth while in the end.

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  • Binder photo AdrianB
    30 August, 3:21PM

    AdrianB

    Open QuoteI'd love to do more of this. I'm determined to try nettle soup and have found success with blackberries of course, but also wild thyme that grows in a certain part of Box Hill in Surrey. I live in an area with heaps of philberts, but have never known when to pick them exactly - so thanks very much for the nod to Saint Philbert - now we know it's August 20th right? I wish there was more info on which wild mushrooms we can eat in the UK online, that would be a blessing. Don't forget chestnut season too, it's not that far off. You have to beat the squirrels though!

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  • Binder photo smitty
    30 August, 5:10PM

    smitty

    Open QuoteThere are loads of blackberries near me - no one bothers to pick them. I've just picked at least a couple of pounds and plan to make some jam and jelly.

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  • Binder photo robert
    1 September, 1:44PM

    robert

    Open QuoteI went out at the weekend and picked tons of blackberries. When you think about it we're lucky in the UK to have so many fruits growing in the wild. I came across some wild mushrooms - or maybe they're toadstools- so left them well alone!

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  • Binder photo catn
    2 September, 3:55AM

    catn

    Open QuoteIts not quite so easy to go wild foraging here in southern Australia - most of the 'weeds' like blackberries and wild rose hips have been sprayed with poison at some stage or another - and it is often too hard for an amateur to tell which fungi are edible. But what my sister and I do is keep our eyes peeled for garden/overgrown plants/trees as they come into season around our town. It is amazing how many people dont collect such yummy things as quinces, locuts, walnuts etc. A simple knock on the door and most of the time we are granted free access to the prize! We are even thinking of writing our own map or seasonal diary of the town so we can remember what is ripe and where - free, fresh and tasty food right at your doorstep.

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  • Binder photo RooBee
    2 September, 12:13PM

    RooBee

    Open QuoteA few weeks ago on a family walk we picked loads of bilberries - the kids loved the sense corporate achievement and found the subsequent bilberry smoothies far more enticing than they would have done if I'd just bought a punnet fromt the supermarket!

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  • Binder photo goodgrub
    3 September, 9:54AM

    goodgrub

    Open QuoteI live in Bulgaria and foraging is a dream. There are plum, quince,apple and apricot trees all down the sides of country lanes, blackberries and blueberries in abundance. Walnut trees that heavy with produce they are nearly falling over. Its a brilliant, and productive way of spending a sunny afternoon!

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  • Binder photo debbie
    3 September, 8:42PM

    debbie

    Open QuoteAt the bottom of my field the hedge and ditch is full of brambles, we've spent quite a few evenings picking these and I'm going to have a go at making some jam. My fave has to be apple and bramble crumble with a proper custard made with the eggs my chickens have made. Delish!!!

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  • Binder photo debbie
    3 September, 8:43PM

    debbie

    Open QuoteI should have said with the eggs my chickens have laid not made!!!!

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