The Many Colours of June and July

Mirabells on the Road

Cherry Plums and Mirabells are ripe early and are now falling from the trees. They are basically, slightly smaller, wild plum varieties. Very tasty, plentiful, and often found in clusters in the wild or in parks, gardens or verges in the city. Characterised by many different colours, yellow, orange, purple and even shiny bronze, these vibrant fruits are perfect to gather at this time of year and easy to spot due to the bright, often squashed, fruits on the ground.

Delicious Cherries

I have been supplementing my breakfast muesli with garden berries, specifically Blueberries, early Raspberries and Wild or Alpine Strawberries. Getting up, then dropping down into the garden to gather the latest ripe fruits, is one of my favourite things at this time of year and my muesli tastes fantastic for the colourful flavour boost.

Fruity Selection for my Museli

Elsewhere in the garden, my Peas, Squash and Cucumber plants seem to be growing well, despite the extreme heat that is now assailing us. At least the water butts are reasonably full after the rain in May/June. I’m looking forward to the early “Snack” cucumbers, getting ready to add them to my lunch-time sandwiches.

Poppies

Tall Poppies are popping up everywhere in July, you can easily gather the seeds from the heads, by cutting them off and storing in paper envelops, keep them in a dry place for later use. Poppy seeds add a unique, nutty flavour to dishes, enhancing both sweet and savoury recipes. Their mild taste becomes more pronounced when toasted, making them an excellent addition to various foods. They also provide a delightful crunch and texture, in baked goods and other dishes.

Blueberries

Has it ever occurred to you that Brambles, the scourge of gardeners, allotmenteers, walkers and just about anyone who goes outside, are universally hated until late July / August, whereupon they magically become completely loved?

Strawberries

For many people, Blackberries are the beginning and end of a fleeting dalliance with foraging. Young children are trusted to go hunting for a fruity food not normally bought in a supermarket. People get scratched, stabbed and entangled, blood is quite normal, but everybody just shrugs it off, along with stained T-Shirts, as they scramble to collect the fattest, juiciest, box of Tupperware filled with dark murderous Blackberries.

Unripe Blackberries

The short-lived, blood-stained bounty is eaten greedily en-route, smeared over faces and fingers, then taken home to turn into; jam, pies, juice, wine, crumbles, tarts, muesli supplements, compote, and any number of other puddings. Blackberries freeze well too (spread them on a baking tray to freeze, then bag them loose), so you can savour the delight later in the Winter, if you can make them last that long.

 

Blackberry Wine 

 

Down the lane Blackberries run.

The bittersweet pang, of your blood on my tongue.

Favourite flavours, temptation - too good

Staring down from the hedge by the wood.

A promise that you would not hurt me this time,

The sting in my digits remains in the wine.

Always something about which to warn;

The hotter the sun, the deeper the thorn.

A worthy opponent, with briars to joust;

I want to crush you - to juice in my mouth.

The green of the field, the glare that can stun;

I long to pluck you - outside in the sun.

Your barb in my fingers, the pain in my palm,

That stain, it still lingers, your extract a balm.

Eden emergent, the edge of a stream,

Verdant the verge in the dark of the dream.

Poetic Licence – by the Urbane Forager (2011)

Cherries

Oh! 

Did I mention Cherries in my last post? 

Our Cherries are Guarded by Ghosts

They ripened. 

We picked them. 

We ate them. 

Yum!

They were delicious, if fleeting...

Rustic Fruit Cage Success

At home, the pea harvest from the compact rainwater irrigated raised bed is going very well. The pea plants are now taller than my children and covered with fresh fat pods; they taste best raw.

However, after a short spell of sunny weather, I thought it was high time I popped down to our shared allotment to check on the progress of the soft fruit in our coppiced hazel cage.

What a lovely surprise greeted me!

All of the Autumnal Raspberries and the Tayberry had shot up. The Summer Raspberries were full of scrumptious ripe fruit.

Strawberry plants were planning to take over the entire floor-space / or possibly the world.

My Blueberry bush was resplendent with a great many bloomy ripe berries, which I hastily picked/ate.

The Squash plants were outside the safety of the cage; they had such a hard time getting started because of the invading slug army. Now they seemed to have finally got a grip and were happily seething all over the plot with gay abandon.

I returned home victorious and contented, with a small Tupperware box of the remaining Blueberries and Raspberries (the ones that I had not scoffed); guiltily licking the smeared juice off my lips before reaching the front door.