What a glorious morning

Bright and sunny, a little chilly but ideal conditions for a forage.  And a forage I have been on.  And by George I have thoroughly enjoyed being out in the fresh air, gathering things from nature, just being in my own space with Missy running around here there and everywhere.  Sometimes proper peace and quiet is all you need to recharge.

This is where I have walked this morning.











I found loads of crab apples mostly on the floor but still in very good condition just will need a wash and then dealing with.  I anticipate making, pickled crab apples, (have not made before) crab apple jelly, spiced crab apple jelly, some pectin stock and some apple butter (not made before) and some crab apple leather and some crab apple ice cream sauce (new one to me).

The first batch of crab apples:

In the raw before being deleaved and stalked.


After destalking and deleaving.


Soaking to clean off the grime.



I found loads of sloes.  I will go back for more during the week.  I have plans to make sloe gin, sloe vodka, sloe and crab apple jelly, and some sloe chocolates with the fruit left over from the sloe gin and vodka.


I found loads of rosehips.  Yet again will go back for more but have plans to make rosehip syrup and also rosehip vinegar.  If I can find enough will also dry some shells for use in winemaking and for the vitamin c content.


The Rowan berries had all gone so too late on the scene.  Maybe next year unless I can find any, anywhere else.

I also found quite a few larch cones.  These will be ideal for spraying with gold and silver paint or leaving plain and adding to the outside of Christmas presents or indeed adding to garlands and/or wreaths.


And I came home with some Laurel leaves which I am going to attempt to skeletonise.  Never done it before so a new learning curve.

I also came back with a load of lichen covered twigs.  The wind has been rough and broken some of the branches off the trees so I have collected a few this week.  I have seen a Christmas decoration that I quite liked which these will be ideal for using with.  More on that a little later.

We have had a bacon sarnie or two since coming back into the house with a nice mug of tea to wash it down with.  I think I had the best of the day and the best of the sunshine and I know Missy enjoyed herself.  Now the work begins turning it into something for the pantry shelf.

I will post photos of the fruit itself once it is all washed and sorted.

Hope you are enjoying your day as much as I am.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

x

Comments

  1. I'm glad you had such a lovely day, and got most of the wild fruits you were searching for (shame about the Rowans but the birds get to them first!)

    Lovely photos and I look forward to seeing some of your lovely-sounding preserves etc.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks BB it did me the world of good. Managed to pick quite a bit on my ownsome as well.I am going again for Rosehips early in the week as a lot of them are going soft which is ideal for the birds but not for what I would like them for. I thought I was hedging my bets with the Rowan berries though. Have some other preserves to do as well including onion relish and garlic and onion jelly both of which I use in sausage rolls. Hope everything is okay with you. Take care. Tricia xx

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  2. What a productive walk and such a lovely place.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Hart. It is a long narrow strip of land that runs parallel to the river and the electric cut. Some of it is turned over to nature like a reserve, However a lot of people do not know it even exists. We walk Missy there in the morning and of an evening. Does us all good to get out and about. I love it when I can just roam free range with her on my own though. Take care. Tricia x

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