It’s a late summer evening but our after-dinner dog walk is tinged with the slight orangey glow that lets us know autumn is just around the corner. The leaves are slowly turning and there is a chill in the air, which could make you think it’s time to snuggle down and hide away, but brave this turn of season and you will certainly be rewarded with nature’s bounty.
foraging pot blueberries | natalia marcelewicz
We’ve had an abundant final foraging month of summer loaded with rich golden and purple Victoria plums along with small yellow Mirabelle plums, which we have eaten fresh and also made into crumbles. But autumn is truly where foraging comes into its own with, it seems, a shiny berry at every turn.
yellow mirabelle plums | gaelle marcel
I think most of us are familiar with blackberries—or brambles as my mum was adamant they were called when she was a child growing up in North Yorkshire. There’s of course nothing better than plucking a handful and scoffing them as you stroll, but this plentiful and versatile fruit is also perfect for jams, crumbles, and syrup that works a treat on top of fluffy pancakes.
Fancy trying your hand at making blackberry syrup?
/www.wildfooduk.com/wild-food-recipes/blackberry-syrup/
But blackberries are really just the tip of the forage-berg at this time of year, especially if you’re looking to load up on a good vitamins, or get ahead with your sustainable Christmas presents. In my opinion, rose hips are a vastly underrated fruit that you’ll find poking out of hedgerows the length of England’s canals. These oval red shiny berries are chock-full of vitamins A, B and D, as well as more vitamin C than an orange or lemon! In fact, this unassuming hedgerow fruit was a staple of wartime Britain when, with produce scarce, they were made into syrup, which was administered to children to keep them healthy.
foraging for blackberries | candace mathers
Even for myself growing up in the 80s, I remember well the sight of crab apples and rose hips squished into a ‘jelly bag’ hanging over a bowl in the kitchen. My mum was a wartime child herself and knew the benefits of our hedgerow plants and thankfully, passed these traditions down to me and also my daughter. Foraging folklore is in the hands of all of us and retaining such knowledge is an important part of retaining autonomy in our lives.
blackberries crumble homemade | duncan kidd
Feeling like you need a boost of Vitamin C? Try this simple River Cottage recipe:
Now I know some of you might be cross at me for mentioning Christmas, but if you’re trying to be more sensitive to sustainability and aiming to make a lesser impact this year, then I encourage you to look out for the first frost and then go in search of the beautiful purple jewels abundant in our hedgerows. Sloe gin makes a wonderful gift, is super satisfying to make, and watching it ferment in the corner for several months provides a gentle reminder of the harvest this season of autumn brings.
Go out, explore, forage, and enjoy!
If you want to be ready for a sustainable Christmas, try this recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sloe-gin
Note: When foraging, please make sure you use a reliable identification book!
Alice Elgie is a wandering writer with an appreciation for time spent in nature: slowintotheseasons.substack.com
Image credits: Blackberry pot Natalia Marcelewicz on Unsplash. Mirabelle plums Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash Blackberry pot Candace Mathers on Unsplash Crumble Duncan Kidd on Unsplash
