Ethical Foraging for the home
I love foraging in the UK. Having been brought up in Zimbabwe it was not something we ever did, although having a sister as a safari guide meant that I knew a lot of plants and although we did not eat many of them, we knew their medicinal benefit for bites, stings and sunburn etc.
In the UK there is an abundance of food to be foraged throughout the year if you know what to look for and are careful. It can be great fun for all the family and will make you all feel like you’re doing your bit to becoming and feeling “earthier”.
Many people are scared of what to pick and what is edible, but with the assistance of the internet and the increase of foraging days which now abound, getting out and about to enjoy nature’s bounty and beauty should not be missed.
For my family, May and the elderflower blooms coming out marks the start of our foraging. We love picking the fragrant flowers, ideally first thing in the morning and away from roads (car fumes). We follow the age-old rule of 1 in 20, so only pick one flower for every 20 flowers on the tree as this allows pollination/food/enjoyment for everyone else and is not detrimental to the environment. We use the flowers to make elderflower cordial which goes down a treat in our household.
From there we progress to June which usually sees the advent of the Dog rose (perfect for making jellies and syrups) and the honeysuckle, good for tea. Plenty of herbs are coming out now like lime leaves and wild garlic. If you grow vegetables in your garden, you should start getting some harvest now too which is lovely for the warmer evenings and longer days to pick out as you sit outside.
July, August and September offer a plethora of berries and it really is a case of how much can you eat and process to get through all what’s on offer. In these summer holiday months, we love picking bilberries, blackberries, wild strawberries and all more to make jams, cordials, syrups, crumbles, compotes & ice-cream – the list is endless. Our all-time favourite are the humble apples and we love using our press to make fresh cloudy apple juice or cooking up a good old-fashioned apple pie (I still use my great grandmother’s recipe which can’t be beaten). Beech nuts also make a tasty treat if we are out on a walk, they’re amazing in a salad too.
October is all about nuts and sloes. If you are into making your own sloe gin, then havesting these fruits from the local hedgerows is what this time of year is all about.
For us, once the darker nights and the colder weather descends it is all about hunkering down in our warm cosy home and enjoying the fruits of our summer labour. Out come the jams with a warm slice of toast, in go the crumbles and the pies with thick creamy custard…..it’s wholesome, pure comfort food to get you through the daily grind & nothing tastes better than when you know you have picked it yourself!
A few rules to observe when foraging: Always ask permission if you are on someone’s land. Never uproot anything (pick the flowers or leaves only but leave the plant in situ). Never pick or eat anything that you do not know. Never forage for commercial gain – it is illegal. Pick responsibly and safely for your own use and enjoy.
