Free food in the Irish countryside!

Sycamore Tree

The hedgerows are absolutely teeming with big fat sweet Blackberries this Autumn! The warm summer has given us a bumper crop of delicious goodness.
The first crop is ripened now but I'd expect 4-6 weeks of excellent yields.
They're high in beneficial vitamins and minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

The apple crop also seems to be excellent this autumn. Is there anything better than a blackberry and apple tart?

D3V!L

Mmmm pesticides

Full of lovely pesticidey goodness.

Poor_old_gill

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

The hedgerows are absolutely teeming with big fat sweet Blackberries this Autumn! The warm summer has given us a bumper crop of delicious goodness.
The first crop is ripened now but I'd expect 4-6 weeks of excellent yields.
They're high in beneficial vitamins and minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

The apple crop also seems to be excellent this autumn. Is there anything better than a blackberry and apple tart?

You've been watching too much Rick Stein

Harry Palmr

I only have to go up to the top of my garden for blackberries but yep there's plenty if your know where to look.

listermint

D3V!L wrote: »

Mmmm pesticides

Full of lovely pesticidey goodness.

No one sprays pesticides on the hedgerows around my place. Why would they, thats just burning money...

Roger Hassenforder

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Is there anything better than a blackberry and apple tart?

(Getttng) a rusty trombone?

Hammer89

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Is there anything better than a blackberry and apple tart?

Have you ever had a Mizzonis after a night out.

Your Face

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Is there anything better than a blackberry and apple tart?

Yes, a filthy one.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

D3V!L wrote: »

Mmmm pesticides

Full of lovely pesticidey goodness.

You'll get few pesticides on blackberries or rose hips in the hedgerows around here.


Just avoid blackberries growing along a road, as they pick up a lot of grit and dirt from passing traffic.

Blackberries are only now really coming into their own and the crop is excellent. The one's we picked over the past two weeks were not as sweet and had high pectin levels - good for setting jam but a tad bitter.

The Rose Hip crop is looking good but we'll leave them until a touch of frost sweetens them and gives the vitamin C a boost.

Hazelnuts are plentiful this year too.

We've cropped the earlier apples and are now preparing for the later one's to ripen.

Jams are made. Apples have been used for tarts and crumbles that are in the freezer. The next apples will be stewed and frozen for winter. Some apples are going for pressing and the juice will be good for months ahead.

SEPT 23 1989

Signs of a very bad winter

freshpopcorn

I'd avoid picking blackberries from the roadside.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Signs of a very bad winter

Signs of a good spring.

Alun

Looks like a good sloe crop as well for those into making sloe gin such as myself!

Whispered

The bastard wasps got all my apples. It's disgusting up there. Every single apple has a wasp dug into it. Birds robbed my blackberries and strawberries. Dunno where you're all from with your polite animals not taking your food.

Dying to go get hazelnuts. Well my plan is to send the little fella off with his grandad. It's not late enough in the year yet though, right?

Rose hips? They're edible?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Whispered wrote: »

The bastard wasps got all my apples. It's disgusting up there. Every single apple has a wasp dug into it. Birds robbed my blackberries and strawberries. Dunno where you're all from with your polite animals not taking your food.

Dying to go get hazelnuts. Well my plan is to send the little fella off with his grandad. It's not late enough in the year yet though, right?

Rose hips? They're edible?

Rose hips are an excellent source of Vitamin C and make a great syrup - lots of recipes online. Use wild Dog Rose as opposed to garden varieties for the best flavour and to avoid any sprays that may have been used on them. The longer they are left to ripen, the better.

Sleepy

We picked a few kilos of blackberrys out of the fields behind the house and they're currently fermenting away in the utility room, should have 6 bottles of blackberry wine by Christmas for the price of a €2 packet of yeast!

New Home

Joelle Juicy Fiddle wrote: »

Rose hips are an excellent source of Vitamin C and make a great syrup - lots of recipes online. Use wild Dog Rose as opposed to garden varieties for the best flavour and to avoid any sprays that may have been used on them. The longer they are left to ripen, the better.

They're very astringent, though, so they're best eaten in very limited amounts if you've problems with constipation.

MyStubbleItches

Our apple trees produced a bumper crop this year. All picked last weekend and are being pressed for cider.

Jellybaby1

I thought I'd stumbled into River Cottage!!! Someone please tell me where the best hazelnuts are in Dublin, I fancy making my own Nutella! I picked a lot of blackberries a few weeks ago and trying to be clever I made frozen blackberry yogurt.......I shouldn't have! Yogurt didn't like being frozen.

Spanish Eyes

Our local park which backs on to the river was/is chock a block with big fat blackberries on huge brambles.. Lots of people with big containers down there getting it all in!

One person gave me a tip.... pick the berries higher up. That's because dogs pee on the lower ends, and other night creatures can do the same.

Good advice!

Jellybaby1

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

.....One person gave me a tip.... pick the berries higher up. That's because dogs pee on the lower ends, and other night creatures can do the same.

Good advice!

Well known old advice, but good advice!

Pretzill

Yes wonderful crop this year - I have already made some jam the first batch was a tad bitter but perfect as jam. Hazelnuts here too mind you most are out of reach, juicy rose hips and bitter sloe - haven't seen a crop this abundant in years.

Jellybaby1

Whisper in my ear.......where are the hazelnuts? Please.

freshpopcorn

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Our local park which backs on to the river was/is chock a block with big fat blackberries on huge brambles.. Lots of people with big containers down there getting it all in!

One person gave me a tip.... pick the berries higher up. That's because dogs pee on the lower ends, and other night creatures can do the same.

Good advice!

You've just to hope people don't have a high aim!

Pretzill

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Whisper in my ear.......where are the hazelnuts? Please.

To quote a poet of these parts:
"I went down to the hazelwood because a fire was in my head... "

I'm sure other counties have native Hazel's - the hedgerows here certainly do.

Does that help?

Outlaw Pete

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Free food in the countryside!

Yes there is....

Adam261

Guys any ideas on how to cook rabbit meat?i've just been given a few locally shot,

Outlaw Pete

See if she's on Twitter and ask her.......

corner of hells

Love the free countryside food myself
Just had a seagull pie for a snack .

The Bollocks

Free milk in the Irish countryside! too


Go into any field with cows in it and just start milking away.


Ask my bollocks Bear Grills.

Canis Lupus

The fields are filled with cattle and sheep. Get in there and get yourself one.

Giraffe Box

Canis Lupus wrote: »

The fields are filled with cattle and sheep. Get in there and get yourself one.

Judging by your name I think you'd make them very nervous.

kylith

Adam261 wrote: »

Guys any ideas on how to cook rabbit meat?i've just been given a few locally shot,

You can find good videos on Youtube on how to joint them. It's a few years since I've gotten one but I pan-fried the loins and stewed the legs. Be aware that it's a seriously dry meat; there's no fat on a rabbit.

Sleepy wrote: »

We picked a few kilos of blackberrys out of the fields behind the house and they're currently fermenting away in the utility room, should have 6 bottles of blackberry wine by Christmas for the price of a €2 packet of yeast!

Recipe please!

dxhound2005

It is safe to eat blackberries from the roadside. I often do it when I am out cycling and I am still alive. I always thought the advice not to do so was suspect, but I never checked until now.

https://www.bangor.ac.uk/news/university/student-project-shows-it-is-safe-to-eat-roadside-blackberries-15772

spaceHopper

Took my kids picking black berries at the weekend only half the berries made it home but they had a ball. Where I am there are lots in the park but they need another while, they are still small and red.

Lots of Elder berries to

dxhound2005

The small red ones will probably not get any riper at this stage.

pawrick

picked some blackberries last week, far more are ripe this week but the starlings are hitting them hard around me.

Plumb trees around me are also ripe lots of apples too but my own apple trees did bad again this year, I should really look after them properly or replace them with more plumbs.

my grapes are also looking good, fingers crossed noting eats them before they are fully ripe and i might get my first bunch!

gozunda

D3V!L wrote: »

Mmmm pesticides
Full of lovely pesticidey goodness.

Why the fook do you think BlackBerry bushes would be sprayed with 'pesticides????

It's not like people think 'oooh look - there's bugs on them there backberry bushes - I have to Kill them!'

Blackberry bushes are not spayed with pesticides to Kill bugs' The biggest issue is with Blackberry bushes along the sides of the road exposed to exhaust gases with and ****e thrown up by passing vehicles.

dxhound2005

gozunda wrote: »

Why the fook do you think BlackBerry bushes would be sprayed with 'pesticides????

It's not like people think 'oooh look - there's bugs on them there backberry bushes - I have to Kill them!'

Blackberry bushes are not spayed with pesticides to Kill bugs' The biggest issue is with Blackberry bushes along the sides of the road exposed to exhaust gases with and ****e thrown up by passing vehicles.

The hedges are usually far enough away from the traffic not to suffer any pollution. Roadside verges are a refuge for plants and animals driven off agricultural fields.

gozunda

dxhound2005 wrote: »

The hedges are usually far enough away from the traffic not to suffer any pollution. Roadside verges are a refuge for plants and animals driven off agricultural fields.

On most roads it's not recommended to pick wild fruit as the soil and vegetation will become contaminated over time. Plus most roadside verges are cut back and intensively managed.

https://www.goodfoodireland.ie/blog/picking-wild-blackberries

Btw the majority of wild plants and animals will be found in field hedges. Most extensive forms of agriculture here don't involve driving anything anywhere. The local rabbits certainly don't live anywhere near any roadside verges - ditto most of the other wildlife.

dxhound2005

gozunda wrote: »

On most roads it's not recommended to pick wild fruit as the soil and vegetation will become contaminated over time. Plus most roadside verges are cut back and intensively managed.

https://www.goodfoodireland.ie/blog/picking-wild-blackberries

Btw the majority of wild plants and animals will be found in field hedges. Most extensive forms of agriculture here don't involve driving anything anywhere. The local rabbits certainly don't live anywhere near any roadside verges - ditto most of the other wildlife.

There is no scientific proof offered there to support the advice that roadside berries are polluted by traffic fumes. In the link I provided, the roadside berries were tested against shop bought berries and they were found to be safe to eat.

blue note

I use to love playing golf on the weekdays at this time of year when I was younger. The course would be quiet and I'd eat my way around the golf course, stopping at every blackberry hot spot on the course.

They're much nicer wild - far less uniform. You'd get the really fat, juicy sweet ones, or the really tangy ones. God I love them.

Dakota Dan

dxhound2005 wrote: »

There is no scientific proof offered there to support the advice that roadside berries are polluted by traffic fumes. In the link I provided, the roadside berries were tested against shop bought berries and they were found to be safe to eat.

The only problem with roadside berries is tha risk of getting mowed down by speeding traffic while picking them.

gozunda

dxhound2005 wrote: »

There is no scientific proof offered there to support the advice that roadside berries are polluted by traffic fumes. In the link I provided, the roadside berries were tested against shop bought berries and they were found to be safe to eat.

Errh yes there are. Both soils and roadside vegetation are subject to large quantities of vehicular emissions etc - for example see:

http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/133002

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286949819_Heavy_metal_contamination_in_roadside_soil_and_vegetation_A_review

Lots of other in-depth research out there.
Tbh I wouldn't hold an undegraduate end of year research as being the full picture either.

And personal anecdote is grand but my 82 year old uncle who smokes fifty fags a day ain't going to prove that smoking isn't bad for you health!

dxhound2005

There is not antidote to smoking.

RobertKK

Around my way, one can find at various times of the year the following wild fruit and nuts: blackberries, strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, frockens/bilberries, cherries, crab apples, sloes and hazelnuts.

Grayson

listermint wrote: »

No one sprays pesticides on the hedgerows around my place. Why would they, thats just burning money...

but if you pick them off the hedges next to roads they'll be covered with dirt.
I grew up in the countryside and we'd pick blackberies but the ones on the road were always filthy. Just as well every single hedge has them.

dxhound2005

You can rob honey from bumblebee's nests.

Grayson

I don't know if anyones mentioned it but always soak the fruit in salty water. Since pesticides aren't used on it, there will be little maggots sometimes. Soak the fruit in salty water and it will kill any of the little feckers. It'll also make them leave the fruit.

New Home

Even better, use sodium bicarbonate/bread soda.

The Davestator

Made a few bottles of elderberry gin last night. They'll be given as presents and drank over the Christmas