Walnuts & Wooden Rain

Who can identify all of the tasty-looking Autumnal treats on the above tray? This is a selection of the items that I took along for my recent talk to the Highfield Women's Institute and, between them, they were able to identify all.

We have been focusing on gathering Walnuts recently, the green hulls have been splitting open and ejecting the nuts, like a delightful wooden rain. The children and I cycle about the neighbourhood harvesting them.

We can gather a surprising amount and add them to our bursting hazelnut hoard. The nuts will keep for a good few months if kept well ventilated and dry and we make all kinds of delicious things from them throughout the Winter/Spring months.

I have also recently gathered my first Chestnuts of the year, from an early shedding tree, near where I work. It is not really time for them to fall yet but seasonal variations are always to be expected.

My Cider has begun fermenting, it seems to be getting pretty over-enthusiastic and erupting through the bubblers in curious volcanic-looking sculptures in the kitchen.

Don't forget to put the Urbane Forager book on your Xmas present lists!

Radioactive Spiders Not Required

Green Walnuts

A friend of mine recently enquired as to how I had secretly become an expert on fruit trees. He was not the first person to ask me this question, but the truth is, it does not take much time to learn the basics of tree identification. We already supply free, downloadable seasonal id pdfs on our blog and these sheets are also in the Urbane Forager book.

Anyone can learn to recognise a few tree species; you have to spend a while acquiring your skill but think of the benefits. It will be fun, satisfying and you could save a lot of money. You will spend more time outdoors and do more exercise, which is good for both your physical and mental health. Honing a new ability can be like obtaining a super power (only you don’t need to be bitten by a radioactive spider). 

The key to the Urbane Forager method hinges upon a few simple specific ideas.

Focus: We only bother to identify fruit and nut trees, those that will supply us with produce later in the year. This way, children (and adults) can be safely engaged and we do not have to worry about poisonous plants. You can see the main types of trees we pay attention to by looking at the id sheets page. Through time we have learned to spot other trees too, like Mulberries and Medlars.

Plum Blossom

Seeing: You have to actually see, not just look. It’s not difficult, but you do have to make a conscious decision to notice and log the things that other people choose to overlook. Observation is the fundamental weapon in any forager’s arsenal. The trees are ubiquitous, you just haven’t noticed them before.

Plums

Recording: Part of noticing things is remembering the locations, so write it down. We always use the Falling Fruit free access map, but a hand-drawn paper map is just as good. This way we can easily remember to go back and check the places that we might otherwise have forgotten.

Frequency: You need to be constantly moving, exploring, covering ground, walking or cycling around your area. We do spot trees when we go out on specific walks, but the majority I notice on my way to and from work or during my lunch time trips. 

Plum Blossom

I am a compulsive walker and get out of the office in all but the very worst conditions. I see the same things frequently and over time this helps me to tune into seasonal changes. You will not notice anything sat on the sofa watching TV.

Plums

Seasons: You need to observe the trees throughout the year. Spring is always a good place to start and it's coming soon. The different tree species come into boom in sequence, which is very handy. However, it’s no use noticing tree blossom during the Spring if you don’t know when it will produce delicious ripe fruit. Watching various species as they flower and fruit will reinforce your knowledge. Harvesting the bounty yourself on a sunny Summer’s day will really hammer that message home.

Of course, once you have made use of your new super power, you may well need to cultivate a few more skills. Depending on how much you pick, you might need to find an expert to help you store, bake, preserve, pickle, juice, freeze, or ferment your harvest. Alternatively, you could learn how to do this for yourself and that will be a whole lot more fun.

Summertime Foraging Fun

Summer is finally establishing itself in Southampton. We went for a meandering walk with friends along the river beautiful Itchen. I was pleased to spot a nice looking apple tree by a car park in Shawford before we set off; I duly added this to the Falling Fruit map. The atmosphere was heady and the smell of Elderflowers hung heavily in the air.

The route took us up-river past Compton Lock, which is always a fabulous place for a fun swim. We used to cycle to this spot during teenage summer holidays. 

We passed under the M3 motorway and watched swooping swallows catching bugs under the bridge. Despite the wonderful countryside surrounding us, the kids seemed to enjoy being under the massive bridge and hung around here for some time. 

Then it was a short but extremely steep climb up the ancient hill fort of St Catherine’s with the sunshine hammering down from above. The view over Winchester and the water-meadows is truly spectacular. 

We saw several Walnut trees, some of which seem to have had the ends of the branches somehow damaged. People had been having fires on top of the hill amongst the beeches, which must be nice, but some idiots had been setting a fire in the bowl of one of the largest trees – It is difficult to believe the stupidity of this action.

I also noticed a couple of Juniper bushes clinging to the steep ramparts. I have seen Junipers at Figsbury, Danbury and Winchester Hill forts. We found Walnut trees at Badbury Rings as well as here. Walnut (and Apple) trees were introduced to Britain by the Romans and Juniper is thought to be the only native fir tree in the UK. These are curious connections, well worth wondering about.

After a picnic and a run around the mysterious Mismaze atop the hill, we set off back down the Itchen. After a sweltering ramble in the Summer sun, Compton Lock always seems an impossibly perfect place to cool your jets. Wild Swimming is all the rage now and the water is deep enough in places to invite leaping into the cold river for a frolic with the fishes.

The shock of the chilly water will certainly refresh you after a long hot walk but the children were soon shivering like leaves in the wind. We dried them off and set off for home, pausing only to grab a bag-full of Elderflower heads to create thirst quenching Cordial and Champagne on our return. 

We also spotted that cherries are ripening. At last, after all the stress of finishing the book, the free fruit foraging fun finally begins...

Wind in the Walnuts

it has been a funny old Autumn thus far with a very warm September and October, still in shorts and t-shirts temperatures.

We decided to go on the hunt for Walnuts; hoping that the recent rain and blustery wind would have brought some down.

We had been very busy previously, and not had time to check out our favourite trees before-hand, so we didn't know what to expect.

On our arrival, it did not look so good, but we spotted a few broken branches on the grass, signs that the local kids had been trying to knock down nuts.

We soon tuned into the Walnuts and started to find them nestled amongst the tufts of greenery. We quickly filled our pockets, and when we put them all together at home, we ended up with about half a shoebox full.

Bramble Bushes Bursting with Beautiful Big Blackberries

It’s that time of year again!

Big, fat juicy Blackberries are currently ripening on the commons, parks, hedgerows and gardens all over the place.

Most of the year Brambles are nothing more than a pain in the… Well, it depends on where they have snagged you really.

But come the hot and hazy days of Summer, especially during August the briers suddenly become our nation’s favourite plant.

Conveniently this splendid event occurs during the school holidays and wise families all over the country set out with suitable boxes and bags, often backed up with a picnics and bottles of drink.

They return later, tired and happy, smeared in juice, proudly displaying their battle scars of stinging nettle and thorn assaults.

The rewards are full boxes and bags, now bursting with berries, ready to be eaten, frozen or cooked into some delicious pudding or preserve. The best way to freeze blackberries is to lay them on a baking tray in the freezer, then transfer them into bags once frozen hard. This keeps the individual fruits separate and easy to apportion for future use.

What’s not to like?

Get out there now!

P.S.

It looks as if there might be a bumper crop this year of Hazelnuts and Walnuts some Hazelnuts are already ripe.

Wet Walnuts

Southampton Storm Warning

The day after our assault on the Hedge End apples, the weather took a turn for the worse. Storms were forecast for a few days, with plenty of wind and rain in the mix.

We knew that the walnuts were ripening. So, we thought that the elements would lend a helping hand.

During a break in the rain my son and I whisked off to check out the situation amongst the local trees.

We returned with a bucket load of wet walnuts and once the fall has started, it always continues apace; so now is the time to get busy gathering them as they drop.

Do remember that the green hulls will dye your fingers and clothes brown if you do not take precautions…

Walnuts & Water Walk



A Big, Fat, Green Walnut

This is a lovely walk that we did with family and friends, the children coped well and there was lots for them to do along the way. The route is approximately five and a half miles through fields, footpaths and bridleways.



I planned this route chiefly because I was inquisitive about Walnut trees. On a previous adventure (last year), we found a proliferation of Walnuts on St. Catherine’s Hill and I had heard rumours of further trees along the Pilgrim’s Path, we were not disappointed.

We counted well over 20 Walnut trees over the course of our exploratory search! Some were small and many were massive. Lots of people seem fascinated by these versatile and healthy nuts, so now you'll be able to spot some.

A Tiny Hedgrow Walnut Tree

We parked our car at the foot of Shawford Down (a great place for sledging in the snowy weather). You can get a train to Shawford station.



A Massive Mature Walnut

We set off from near the Bridge Inn, the footpath heads North, up the Itchen Navigation Canal from Shawford.



Lovely Shawford Lock

When you reach Shawford Lock, you can always stop to cool your feet (or even more of you) in the river. It is a most delightful spot and when I was a boy, my friends and I used to cycle here to go swimming during the long, hot summer holidays.

A Fat, Green Walnut - Almost Ripe

We crossed a small wooden bridge and headed NE, over a field, on a footpath.

After crossing the Itchen River via a bridge, we headed up the road to Twyford village. We crossed the main road as we reached it and carried on up a track leading to a farm. Part of the way up this track we bared left onto a path that crossed it and headed North over Twyford Down. This is a bridleway that edges around Hockley golf course.

Along this path we collected and ate enough Blackberries to sustain an army of ramblers. There was even a danger that the children might not be hungry enough to eat the picnic. Eventually though, the route joins the Pilgrims Path at a crossroads. At this junction, we stopped for our picnic as it seemed about halfway.

Twyford Pumping Station

We turned right and headed South, on the Pilgrim’s Path, all the way down to Hazeley Road. We then turned right and headed roughly West for a while along Hazeley Road. You pass, on your left, the Twyford Pumping Station, an imposing Victorian brick building with a large, square chimney left over from the days of steam power. This station has frequent open days and still supplies a lot of the local water from subterranean aquifers.

Evidence of an Indian Summer - Unseasonal Elderflowers

Eventually we noticed a footpath way-marker, which indicated a diagonal route over a corn field, this was known as the Kingfisher’s Path. The corn had been harvested recently and there was lots of straw left in the field, so a hay fight was almost inevitable… The path continues past and even through some gardens and on into Twyford village, where we crossed the main road and headed down Church Lane (opposite).

Guess Who's Going To Look Like Wurzle Gummidge Shortly?

Just before the river we found two large Sarsen stones on the left of the track. These were originally part of a  circle of twelve standing stones; local lore has it that this ancient place of worship was built by a druidic tribe in the Pre-Roman era. The remains of the circle are now mostly buried beneath the foundations of Twyford’s Virgin Mary Church. These two sole survivors are all that remain visible now, by the roadside.

A Small Pagan, Possibly

We then discovered a rope swing over the river Itchen and once we had managed to prise the children off it, we headed back across the fields to Shawford Lock.

Shawford Lock Open-Air Gym

We sat by the lock for a while, to rest our weary soles and soak up the late summer atmosphere, before finally trotting back down the Itchen Navigation to Shawford. In Shawford village, if you deserve it, you can get a drink of ale or food at the Bridge Inn.

See this Walk Map Here 

Alternative Walk Map Taking in St. Catherine’s Hill