Autumn Approaches

As September sneaks in under the radar, the evenings are getting cooler, the morning dew is getting heavier. We have been hunting for Hazelnuts and all the signs indicate that their will be plenty of them ripening imminently. The bright orange berries in the top picture are Rowan (Mountain Ash). They can be used to make a tasty seasonal jelly but obviously you should only pick them off a tree that you have clearly identified first.

Elderberries are already ripe and ready for gathering, I normally make a deep red, flavoursome wine out of our Elderberries but you can also make other products, such as syrup, cordial or jelly, which is said to stave off colds and illness as the nights draw in.

Crab-Apples are the only truly native Apples to be found in the UK, they are often found planted in grass verges in the city but can also be found in hedgerows. They are mostly ripe now and there is a whole host of things that can be done with these undervalued little beauties.  

We have also been checking out the larger Apples as they begin to ripen. Many of the trees we have investigated are over burdened with immature fruit. They will be ready for picking in late September or October but some early Summer Apples are ready to gather sooner.

Some people ask us to help harvest excess Apples from their gardens, we picked about 50 Kgs from one tree and these will either be added into our Winter storage or contribute to our juicing efforts. It will soon be time to dust off the trusty old Cider Press!

Diary Date: 
Sunday 13th September at 3:00pm

My friend Clare Diaper & I will be leading a free walk from Woolston Railway Station on Sunday 13th September 3:00pm.

Clare has written a delightful book on local walks from railway stations and we will be following one of her routes. The circular walk will take about 1.5 hours. En-route we will be pointing out and identifying many fruit and nut trees. 

Everyone is welcome and the walk will take us up through Peartree Green, essentially a steep hilly field, so wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Bring bags if you want to lug some of the oodles of apples available home with you, or you could just grab a couple as fuel, to sustain you until tea time. 

If you are coming on the walk and want a copy of the Urbane Forager book - please let me know in advance and I will bring copies with me.

Also, please take a few minutes to nominate me as a #GetOutside Champion. Email getoutside@os.uk with a few words explaining why Alan Gibson (aka the Urbane Forager) would be a great ambassador. Include links to this blog and your favourite pictures from here too.