Black-Blue Berry Beautiful

We have been completely busy with Summer holidays, outings, picnics, Blackberries etc. However, we have still found time to gather fruit, which is just as well because it is all coming through in bounteous quantities.

I have been bringing home bags filled with delicious plump yellow Plums. These are heartily consumed by my daughter, wife and I but everything else on this post comes in a darker shade of blueish black.

This weekend we were out in Riverside Park, looking for Elderberries to make my seasonal favourite, Elderberry Port. A vast amount of Blackberries were simultaneously consumed, along the way.

Later on the same day, we took a trip out to the wonderful Meon Valley - where we actually climbed a hill - to gather Juniper Berries for a saison ale to be brewed by the Unity Brewing Co in Southampton.

Then, while we were out, we spotted a vast quantity of Sloes, which will be handy when the Autumn arrives.

Cherry Flowering

The Plum blossom is now beginning to fade and hopefully it will soon start to turn into immature Plums.

The Blackthorn bloom is still going strong and it looks as if it should be a good year for Sloes, which will ripen in the Autumn.

The Cherry trees are now taking their turn to come into flower and the good news is that they will be the first fruit to ripen around June.

The children and I always enjoy this time and we stake out our favourite trees, keenly awaiting the time when they are ready to pick and stuff into our greedy mouths. Sometime, we even harvest enough to take some home to bake with.

Wild Garlic and the related Ransoms, are also flowering in dappled woodland  shade (frequently near Bluebells) right now. You can create a delicious pasta pesto with leaves from these plants. We found some growing around our allotment site and successfully transplanted a few onto our site, where they are now happily flowering.

Ransoms, Very Tasty Leaves and Flowers

Everything's Gone Green

Plum

The observant amongst you will have noticed that the countryside and even the city parks and roadsides are changing colour. The Plum blossom is floating like fluffy white clouds along the hedgerows; there's plenty of it and it looks like it will be a very good year for plums. 

Plum

So, if anyone has a good proposition for what we can use the bucket loads of fruit that we will get, come July, we want to hear about it please.

Plum

Blackthorn is also beginning to bloom too and these flowers are similar to the plum, the fruits (Sloes) are also related, although you might not want to eat Sloes straight off the tree! It looks as if it will be a good year for Sloes too, judging by the scale of the current bloom (provided the weather is not too stromy).

Blackthorn

People have often asked me to differentiate these two blossoms and so I am posting lots of images here to help you distinguish one from the other.

Blackthorn

The most obvious thing to spot is that the Blackthorn has large black thorns all along the branches. If at first you do not notice these, you soon will, if you put your hand in amongst the flowers.

Blackthorn

The Blackthorn has smaller, clumped flowers fizzing along the branches; it tends to be a smaller tree, often looking more like a bush. Whereas the Plum will grow into a medium sized tree.

Small Plum Tree

I say Cherry Plum but the blossom will be very similar on trees that will grow Mirrabells, Greengage, Damson, Bullace as well as plain Plums.

Big Plum Tree

Hawthorn is also adding a green tinge to the woodland fringes at the moment. The fruit and leaves of this tree are also largely edible, if you ever feel slightly peckish on a wander.

Hawthorn, just as prickly as Blackthorn

The next thing to keep your eyes peeled for will be Ransoms, Wild Garlic Bluebells & Cherry blossom. Personally, I will be looking forward to the launch of Printemps, the Unity Brewing Co. Spring seasonal beer, created in collaboration with the Urbane Forager Project using locally foraged Stinging Nettle tips.

Pre-Peared for Winter

As any busy parent will testify, you cannot always find the time to do the things you enjoy, even at the weekend. However, after a big storm, my son's midday football match was cancelled due to pitch flooding and his bedroom had only just been re-plastered, so we could not paint that. So, we decided to get out for a short wet, chilly walk in the New Forest.

I was on the lookout for Sloes, which seem to be in short supply this year but we ended up yomping about in boggy heath-land. So I simply enjoyed photographing the astonishing pallet of colour and texture present in the  sodden landscape.

We also managed to get up to our allotment, which has been a little neglected recently. My son planted his own Apple pip in a pot about 7 years ago. This seed germinated, grew steadily from a tiny twig into a small stick and then, in 2013 we finally transferred it to our allotment, where it continued to develop, until it out grew my own 6' height. 

A Brilliant Bowl Barrow

Every time an Apple pip is planted and allowed to grow into a tree, it creates a completely novel variety, with a unique fruit. This Spring we were delighted when it flowered for the first time and, when it finally bore fruit, it was crisp and sweet. There was only a few apples but what a great reward for his enduring patience.

On our return home we were treated to a roast dinner followed by Pear Tart Tatin, freshly baked from our stash of delicious Pears, which do need consuming.

Earlier in the week I had utilised a load more by knocking up a double batch of Pear and Walnut chutney in readiness for those cold Winter nights. It took ages to reduce and the house smelled of vinegar for a while but I'm sure it will be worth it.

Sloe TV

It is that time of year again, when we start to think about gathering Sloes. In Celtic folklore, the Blackthorn occupies a dark and possibly even sinister area concerning Samhain (the precursor to Halloween), and facing your own mortality. Certainly, once the leaves come off the trees, they can have a somewhat foreboding skeletal look about them.

You can make many interesting things out of the wood of the Blackthorn tree but the most popular use for the Sloe Berry is deliciously plummy Sloe Gin. You should get your Sloe Gin started by mid November, if you want to have it ready in time for Xmas. It can make a very welcome gift, especially if you store it in decorative bottles. Lore states that you should ideally wait until the first frost, before you pick them (alternatively, sling them in the freezer). After this these highly astringent fruits apparently ripen and taste sweeter.

Obviously, the name of the Blackthorn contains a barely veiled warning, it can be a prickly business, but picking these bloomy blue/black babies brings its own reward. To make Sloe Gin, simply immerse your Sloes in Gin, add some sugar, to help bring out the juice. Leave the mixture to steep for at least a month giving the jar a regular shake (every day for the first week, then every week for the following month or so). Some people recommend piercing the sloes with a thorn first but my experimentation has shown this to be unnecessary. 

I picked mine during lunch-time walks and ferried them home each day in my sandwich box. I already knew where the bushes were because I had spotted to Blackthorn blossom in the hedgerows in March. I filled a large Kilner-jar with berries and then topped it up with gin and a little sugar. I taste it regularly, just to check, then filter off the debris before decanting it into bottles. All that is then required are some decorative labels.

To get a bit more product from your efforts, another top tip, is to reuse the gin soaked sloes by pouring red wine over them, I'm using Elderberry Port from 2013). Leaving them to soak further, produces a fortified wine, ideal for the winter months. I like experimenting, and can't see any good reason for not giving this a go. I then intend to take this a stage further by using the resultant brew to make mulled wine!

Don't forget to put, the Urbane Forager book on your Christmas present list. 

Order your copy now!

You can buy this lovely book for your friends and family from all good book-stores or Amazon.

the Urbane Forager: Fruit and Nuts for Free

Author: Alan Gibson

ISBN: 978-1-78507-300-7

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Summer Summary

Hazelnuts are now starting to fall, so make like squirrels and get collecting. They come in many different shapes and sizes and only trial will tell which nuts hold the biggest kernels. I have my favourite trees but these nutritious little beauties are very common in hedges and woodland all over the UK.

Hazelnuts will keep very well in a dry place. So, if you don’t cook or eat all of them straight away, you can save some until Christmas. They will keep a lot longer than that too; I recently finished cracking my supply from last year, to make space for this year’s crop!

Apples and Pears are still ripening on the trees and they will soon be ready to pick. I have been scoping out my favourite local trees to see how well they are doing. When fruit trees supply a heavy crop one year, they tend to have a bit of a rest the following year, so it’s well worth checking before you make any plans.

In due course, we will be organising an Apple Day at Mansbridge Community Orchard. This fun annual event is likely to be held in early October.

Other things to be thinking about at this time of year include Elderberries, Sloes and Medlars, all of which are plentiful and can be converted in to an array of delightful and delicious hedgerow treats.

Blackberries and Mulberries are still very abundant at the moment and you can always freeze any that you or your children do not greedily gobble up.

Crab Apples can be processed into a great many different preserves and drinks and there are loads available for free at the moment.

As Autumn begins, It’s always worth keeping an eye on the Sweet Chestnuts. It’s far too early to collect them yet, but it’s always good to bear these magnificent trees in mind.

Frosty days might seem a long way off at the moment, but the seasons still turn and keen observation of change is a key weapon in the forager's arsenal.

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Cherry Blossom Blooms

Spring is now thoroughly engaged, the air is warmer and the cherry blossom is showing through in many places. The bees are buzzing and the butterflies fluttering.

The initial bloom of Plum and Blackthorn is now fading and the young fruit is already developing nicely.

I recently visited Transylvania in Romania (to coach Wing Chun) and was delighted to note that most gardens both in the city and the more rustic countryside were positively stuffed with fruit trees. Of course it was Springtime, so it was easy to spot all the beautiful fresh blossom on the trees.

It will not belong before we can organise our yearly Blossom Walk at the Mansbridge Community Orchard, so keep your eyes peeled for further announcements.

Don't Touch That Dial!

Sloe Motion

These May Actually be Tiny Damsons but they are Related and Will Do

When the first frosts of November arrive, we all start digging out the warm clothing and Winter gloves. Around this time, my mind also turns to toward the bountiful Blackthorn bush. It has been a prodigious Autumnal harvest for most fruit and nuts this year and Sloes have been no exception; they seem to be everywhere you look.

These are Definitely Sloes

Blackthorn provides us with two chief pleasures; in Spring, it is one of the first trees to blossom, smothering the hedgerows with its pretty white bloom. It flowers along with its close relative, the plum and proclaims the seasonal change. Then, as Winter approaches, we benefit from its late fruit, Sloes.

Blue Black Bloom

Tradition has it that the Sloes should be picked after the first frost. I normally wear cycling gloves, to save my fingers from the prickly thorns and purple stains, as much as the chilly air. The most popular pastime with this fruit is to make Sloe Gin, a tasty, plummy nip for those cold Winter nights.

Sloe Wine Fermenting

I picked so many juicy beauties that I had enough to make a bonus gallon of Sloe wine, but Sloe Gin is always the blue/black jewel in November’s crown. This seasonal drink can make a delicious Christmas gift; in a small, decorative bottle. Alternatively a small glass can be the perfect companion to a platter of cheese and biscuits, maybe accompanied by tangy home-made chutney and a few slices of apple…

Sloe Gin Infusing

Someone turn the TV on and ring for the butler!

Get Ready for the Rush

On a recent run about, I realised that Mother Nature had finally got around to bringing forth he bounty and (after waiting so long) it looks like it's going to arrive all at once. 

Elderflowers

Elderflowers are still blossoming, which is quite late. My Elderflower Champagne is already going down a storm.

Elderberries

Some trees will have young, green Elderberries on them at the same time and flowers. I'm going to be making Elderberry Port again this year - it was/is lovely.

Cherries

Cherries are still ripening on many trees, although some have already finished fruiting. A lot of cherry trees have shrivelled leaves and even mouldy cherries -  probably something to do with the persistent wet weather.

Cherry Plums

Plums are beginning to ripen nicely now and I have already picked and eaten some. I will soon be organising a plum Picknik, so don't touch that dial. There will be a real bounty of these tasty beauties so please register your interest asap, if you want to come along.

Yummy Plums

Hazelnuts are looking surprisingly early and some look like they might be ready by late July.

Hazelnuts

Blackberries are flowering and young fruit is already visible on some bushes. I might make more Blackberry Wine this year too.

Bramble Flowers

Walnuts are currently green and unripe, it’s too late now for picking them for pickled green walnuts or Vin de Noix, this is best done in June when the shells are not yet formed. I always think they are best ripe anyway.

Green Walnuts

Apples & Pears can now be seen on the trees, although they are far too small and unripe to eat, they give you an idea of the crop due to arrive in autumn.

Crab Apples

Chestnut trees are beginning to develop flowers and will soon be smothered in bunches of furry octopus like flowers.

Sloes

Sloes are visible on the Blackthorn bushes now, they are green and will not ripen for months.