Food Foraging!

[Scouse]

So I went out on the bike this weekend to Sherwood Pines (nice but quite tame off-road cycle trail centre near Nottingham, still good fun tho).

A mate got a pinch-flat on the downhill section 'cause he'd not got enough air in his front tyre, so after I patched up his tyre and whilst I was waiting for him to blow it back up I had a look about and managed to pick up a kilo of sweet chestnuts:

Spoiler

I love the sweet chestnut action (eating my 2nd lot today as I'm typing) but am wondering - what else do you forage for at this time of year?

Blackberries are over now, there's a fuckload of mushrooms about (Sherwood Pines is a fly-agaric fest at the mo but there's other, less lethal, sorts about), I don't seem to be able to find Hazelnuts anywhere.

If you've any foraging tips, especially including pics so we know exactly what we're looking for, then wang 'em here

BTW - I've heard that sticking Sweet Chestnuts in a plant-pot, burying in the garden and covering with a piece of slate will keep them fresh until xmas. Anyone heard this? Gonna try anyway...

 

[TdC]

I foraged the neighbor's daughter once!

Srsly though, only thing I recognize in nature is...fuck all

 

[DaGaffer]

I used to do all that kind of thing when I was a kid, and could spot a mushroom from a toadstool at fifty paces. Then I moved to the city for school. All of a sudden after a hiatus of about 35 years, I'm now having to identify trees and plants and other bits of "nature" to help my daughter with her montessori show and tell projects. I think I managed to identify an Oak tree successfully. Everything else was just green stuff.

 

[Scouse]

I used to do all that kind of thing when I was a kid, and could spot a mushroom from a toadstool at fifty paces.

Aye. I was much better younger. It's quite sad really because how can we protect what we don't love eh?

 

[Gwadien]

Is your lack of funds really getting that bad? - I'll come and give you a sandwich if you want.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Is your lack of funds really getting that bad? - I'll come and give you a sandwich if you want.

Next week on FH: Auntie Scouse shows you how to get the most out of your old stockings.

 

[Scouse]

Meh. Nothing beats fresh from the earth stuff for taste

 

[Poag]

Theres a guy in my office who does Mushroom walks. Takes people off into the woods around his farm and shows the dos and dont of mushroom picking. Also does other stuff, skinning animals, proper preparation over an open fire etc....

Tis interesting stuff and a good walk about

 

[Raven]

I don't touch mushrooms...I don't like them anyway. Plenty of stuff about for salads and whatnot, not so much this time of year though but during the summer.

 

[Scouse]

Theres a guy in my office who does Mushroom walks

Saw a group on one the other week. Thinking of doing it - it's council run and about £3 and would give me something else to look for whilst I'm out on the bike

 

[rynnor]

I have dabbled in fungi identification and can identify some of the basic ones but its an area that even in the UK there are probably species that are yet to be written up.

On topic I also foraged chestnuts at the weekend while on a family walk.

 

[Chilly]

I can identify exactly one special of mushroom, and it ain't for putting in your dinner!