First blackberries

[Ganymede]

I used to have some secret wild blackberry bush locations but I don't live near them anymore. I have a mountain bike now and will keep my eyes opened a little for new ones now that this thread reminded me of them.

Always carry a plastic bag! I put a plastic strawberry punnet in my bag to stop squashage.

I'm a mushroom-gatherer myself - I know enough to pick the ones I recognise well such as parasol, oyster, ceps/penny buns, chanterelle, hedgehog fungus and the usual field and horse mushrooms. We get loads of puffballs round our way too.

There's a little yellow wild plum that makes the most amazing jam.

 

[Archie_tect]

I'm still searching for a hazel tree round our way... fresh hazel nuts were a revelation in my childhood but there aren't many about.

 

[Ganymede]

I'm still searching for a hazel tree round our way... fresh hazel nuts were a revelation in my childhood but there aren't many about.

We get them in the shops down in Kent - usually the farm shops! I have several stands of hazel but the squirrels are already stripping them unripe, the furry little devils. My grandfather's favourite thing was to put fresh cobnuts in a biscuit tin and bury the tin in the garden. Dug up on Christmas day, they were as fresh as when they went underground. I've tried it too, a real treat. (It helps to mark the spot with a stick. I also acknowledge that this info is only any use if you can get your hands on them in the first place, soz.)

 

[captain nemo1701]

I've seen a few ones starting to appear along the Bristol Railway Path which i use for my commute. Always know when autumn arrives when I cycle past folk picking them in the path cuttings. There are also places where the path cuts behind gardens and various plants have 'escaped' from them, cascading down the slope and into the path verges. Not unusual to see chives growing with other herbs.

 

[Beebo]

I went for a walk yesterday, the bushes were bursting with them, I didnt have anything with me to collect them, so had to eat as many as possible!

 

[robjh]

.... I didnt have anything with me to collect them.....

Collect with hands, store in stomach. Simples.

 

[Rezillo]

Well, the Rezillo roadside plum stall opened for business today at 50p a bag.

Total takings £2. This time next week we'll be millionaires.

Well, several kilos still left on the tree but they are small and/or marked. Total takings £15.50.

We've given away as much as we've sold, thrown away a lot of unsold bags and the lawn is covered in windfalls. At the very least, one tree has given us over 50kg of fruit!