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

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