council dweller Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 TONA.... Yes, stealing from large companies is OK. I get several sugars each time too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Nut and fruit trees and perennial vegetables (ie artichoke, rhubarb, asparagus, strawbs, raspberries etc) are my line of veg gardening as well. I do a little conventional veg gardening as well but it's a lot of faff. Like you, I think having some grub growing in the garden "just makes sense". I've been trying to grow some veg (tomatoes, cucumbers, and chillies) for the first time, now I've got a greenhouse. I enjoy it so it's more about the satisfaction than getting a meaningful contribution to my food supply. Rhubarb is a good idea, might have to see if I can find a space for a patch somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justthisbloke Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Attn: apple growers and scrumpers - how are yours doing this year? I've got four trees of cookers and eaters and absolutely nowt on 'em this year. First year I've drawn a blank. Pear trees, OTOH, are going great guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Not much to scrump in suburban London other than the ubiquitous blackberries. We have a couple of pear trees in our garden hanging over the wall so passers by sometimes help themselves to the fruit on that side, which is fine by us, as we could never eat them all. The urban form of foraging is bin raiding. I used to get quite a lot of supposedly spoiled food (and sometimes other goods) from the bins of various local supermarkets when I was long on time and short on money. Sadly I think they've all started locking them away now, though perhaps I should have another look now that I'm (through choice) unemployed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigantic Purple Slug Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Not from people's gardens or allotments I hope. That's called stealing not scrumping. What's the definition of scrumping ? When I was a kid everyone knew where the allotments were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I think they're the same thing as bilberries. They usually only grow high up (by UK standards, perhaps 800' above sea level around here). There are some patches near me that I'll help myself to when passing at the right time of year, and I keep meaning to take a box along and try to fill it with enough to put in a pie, which will take ages. There are some places near me with patches of raspberries growing along the roadside, and they're bloody delicious. Winberries up on the moors. Available for about 10-14 days at the greengrocers. A friend bought me a couple of pound the other year and I made some tiny pots of jam. Yummy. What's the definition of scrumping ? When I was a kid everyone knew where the allotments were. Don't know, but taking from gardens is stealing. Orchards and hedgerows are much fairer game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Never seen wild cherries. For anyone in Cambridge there is a fantastic Cherry Tree at Wandlebury about 80-100 metres behind the house. Several years running we had 7-10kg off of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 There are I believe wild cherries around here (in Kent) but I've never known what to do with them so haven't picked them, plus there are a lot of lookalikes that aren't edible. The lookalikes that taste good can be the biggest hazard. Belladonna berries look a lot like wild blueberries. I sadly don't gather wild mushrooms 'cos I lack the confidence and know some of the lookalikes can be a lot worse than mere deadly nightshade. Attn: apple growers and scrumpers - how are yours doing this year? I've got four trees of cookers and eaters and absolutely nowt on 'em this year. First year I've drawn a blank. Pear trees, OTOH, are going great guns. I think the plum trees are teasing me. Looks like lots of fruit, but going from underripe to split open and shrivelling without a delicious stage between. Sometime this week I think I'll cook up a batch, and see if that works with the b***ers. Two years ago they were delicious, but last year I got nothing any good from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One-percent Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Winberries up on the moors. Available for about 10-14 days at the greengrocers. A friend bought me a couple of pound the other year and I made some tiny pots of jam. Yummy. Wow, you are very lucky to be able to buy in the greengrocers. They take a lot of picking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 ......Just this bloke.... Our one apple tree was hit by frost in the spring, 200 apples this year compared to 600 last. Neighbours with a whole orchard have about one apple per tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One-percent Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 It is nearly sloe season. Sloe gin for Xmas. The gin is not foraged though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Wow, you are very lucky to be able to buy in the greengrocers. They take a lot of picking This is why they are an arm and a leg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One-percent Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 This is why they are an arm and a leg. Taste much better (at least to the wallet) when self-picked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libspero Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Don't know, but taking from gardens is stealing. Orchards and hedgerows are much fairer game. You flipping land owning elites hoarding all the food from the poor oppressed peasants.. you'll be the first to fall under the pitch forks when the revolution comes ya know Put me down for sloes and.. if I can ever learn to confidently identify it, possibly some wild horseradish this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Cavey Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I used to go scrumping for pineapples when I lived in Malaysia. These days - mushrooms. I stick to the ones I recognize and try them out on the wife first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RentingForever Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Attn: apple growers and scrumpers - how are yours doing this year? I've got four trees of cookers and eaters and absolutely nowt on 'em this year. First year I've drawn a blank. Pear trees, OTOH, are going great guns. Same here. Three trees that yielded so many apples last year I was giving them away to anyone I remotely knew. This year - not a single apple so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_out Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 No one mentioned rhubarb? It was pretty much a weed where I grew up. Used to cut a stalk with our pen knives and chew on it raw. I've noticed a few stalks growing here and there where I live now. Unfortunately my kids don't like fruit pie. Which I find utterly bizarre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Day off today and when the tide has fully dropped and the sand's dried out a bit will be gathering sea beet and marsh samphire to go with the mackerel I caught for a fully foraged dinner. I would love to say that I always eat like this but this will be the first one this year. Though hopefully not the last. Reporting back the sea beet / sea spinach was very poor probably from the dry weather. There were a small number of decent plants but for most I wasn't going to take one of their few leaves. Marsh samphire was plentiful and tall (for it, 3 or 4"), so easy to pick. Most was not yet going woody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomer Baby Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Attn: apple growers and scrumpers - how are yours doing this year? I've got four trees of cookers and eaters and absolutely nowt on 'em this year. First year I've drawn a blank. Pear trees, OTOH, are going great guns. Same here. Three trees that yielded so many apples last year I was giving them away to anyone I remotely knew. This year - not a single apple so far. One eater (Laxtons) doing well but the cooker is almost bare. Strong winds brought down just 8 small apples over the weekend, last year it would have been dozens. As to other stuff....both plum trees completely bare, nectarine doing reasonably well despite peach-curl earlier in the year, raspberries and blackcurrants were very good, not quite 2015 but close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 No one mentioned rhubarb? It was pretty much a weed where I grew up. Used to cut a stalk with our pen knives and chew on it raw. I've noticed a few stalks growing here and there where I live now. Unfortunately my kids don't like fruit pie. Which I find utterly bizarre. Yay! Everyone to whom I have mentioned eating raw rhubarb in RL (dipping the end in sugar) has looked at me like I was mad. So there are now two of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntb Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Complete opposite for me. Loads of cooking and eating apples and not a single pear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spunko2010 Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 I'm in awe of people who eat wild mushrooms, there is I believe a slightly higher chance of them being toxic than not in the UK, and I've never wanted to take the risk. I believe Ray Mears advised against picking them, the risk is too high. UK seaweed on the other hand are all entirely edible, although kelp is a bit tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I recommend Loganberries . (A hybrid of raspberries and blackberries developed more than 100 years ago by American Judge by the name of Logan) They taste much better than blackberries and are 2 to 3 times the size. (no thorns) Available from Aldi for about £6. You only need one plant as they are easy to propagate . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobloblob Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I'm in awe of people who eat wild mushrooms, there is I believe a slightly higher chance of them being toxic than not in the UK, and I've never wanted to take the risk. I believe Ray Mears advised against picking them, the risk is too high. UK seaweed on the other hand are all entirely edible, although kelp is a bit tough. Field mushrooms should be OK - don't think there's anything dangerous that looks similar.http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/images/agaricaceae/agaricus-campestris5.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 .....wild cherries are slightly smaller than normal but taste delicious, elder flowers and berries, cob nuts, walnuts a big treat if you know where the fruitful tree is.....blackberries and apple pie.....all manner of herbs and edible fruits and flowers...sloes and damsons, hips, hops and haws..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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