Successful morning foraging

[kitchengardener2]

Worthwhile morning early autumn foraging. Found wild plums and sloes, both the best quality we have ever picked. Two bags of each to freeze.

Here's the sloes, after we picked ours!

[Walkingtall62]

Good luck with the gin🤣😂

[kitchengardener2 in reply to Walkingtall62]

It's usually beautiful and these sloes are huge, very blue and very juicy. I always laugh when I think of my husband sampling sloe gin in an airport duty free, the lady asked if he liked it and he said that it was ok but not half as good as his wife's!

[Walkingtall62 in reply to kitchengardener2]

A keeper!!

[bennevisplace]

Feeling a tad envious about the wild plums. Have you ever made"rumtopf"?

[kitchengardener2 in reply to bennevisplace]

No but I often wanted to, we were at a car boot sale a few years ago and there was a rumtopf for sale, I just missed it, when the person in front of me bought. I could have mugged them, I was so disappointed. Never seen new ones.

[bennevisplace in reply to kitchengardener2]

Well it's not car boot price but it's similar to the one we use, of German origin amazon.co.uk/Original-Stone... Fruit steeped in alcohol for months makes a fabulous accompaniment to ice cream or anything creamy. Or you can just drink the juice!

[Peggy4]

Ooh yes please to the Sloe gin. Make mine a large one! 😀

[mrsjsmith in reply to Peggy4]

And me !

[kitchengardener2 in reply to mrsjsmith]

See reply to Peggy xx

[kitchengardener2 in reply to Peggy4]

Welcome ladies, let's have a party!!

[Peggy4 in reply to kitchengardener2]

Yay!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[mrsjsmith in reply to kitchengardener2]

Will bring the nibbles 🧀🥖🍕

[Peggy4 in reply to mrsjsmith]

I’ll bring a glass and a plate!😆🍸🍽️😀

[kitchengardener2 in reply to Peggy4]

One day my friend, we will make this happen! xx

[Mtk1]

Just made damson jam, the wife and I picked 2 carrier bags full last week, it’s delicious too. Dave x

[mrsjsmith in reply to Mtk1]

Dave,

So jealous I absolutely love damson jam and the commercial ones are never as good.

Colette

[Mtk1 in reply to mrsjsmith]

The thing is Colette we give most of it away , and if you are ever passing through Sunderland you would be more than welcome to a jar. Dave x

[mrsjsmith in reply to Mtk1]

Thank you for the kind offer Dave, but sadly a bit too far from London.

Colette

[kitchengardener2 in reply to Mtk1]

It's fun isn't it Dave xx

[Mtk1 in reply to kitchengardener2]

I’m walking everyday Alice, and it’s a shame to see good fruit going to waste, even though we give most of our jam away. Dave x

[Oleboyredw-uk]

Brings back memories of Autumn foraging with my father as a child. Picking field mushrooms then taking them home and having a cooked breakfast. Last time I went back to where I grew up that field had gone and it was a housing estate. Happy memories.

Must find somewhere near us with sloes.

Best, rob

[prbs2707]

I just love this! Living each day to its fullest, not worrying about tomorrow, and appreciating the beauty of life and nature all around us whe we take time to stop and see it. Lovely post and picture. Thanks x Patrick

[LeoPa]

Don't forget to drink. Loo or no Loo 😁

[Pinkcar]

Thanks for spurring me on to make crab apple jelly. Have started picking them, - now where are the jars!

[rdrunner]

Hi, I think they are damsons. Just got several pounds myself this week.Bernard

[kitchengardener2 in reply to rdrunner]

Mine are definitely sloes!

[lexie]

I am gathering pears now. It is a bit early by a month due to the heat and drought we've had this summer. Now all of a sudden I need to find things to do with the bumper crop of 4 varieties that are ripening at once. I don't do alcohol or sugary things, so maybe pear sauce, freeze some pear juice for my version of Glühwein.

I had volunteer plums growing along my driveway but a bark canker wiped them out a few years ago. I appreciated finding those each year and miss them.

What does a raw sloe taste like? Had to google since never heard of them.

[Shedman in reply to lexie]

Made a spicy chutney with pears a decade ago.. the pears were perhaps 30-40% of the ingredients.. and it could take unripe pears, so less sugary.

[lexie in reply to Shedman]

They are all ripening at once, no unripe. Never had a chutney, may look into that as a possibility. Thanks!