I had that first feeling of autumn a week or two ago. Just a tiny touch but it was definitely there. Now just to prove that time is flying by as usual I’m crunching my way over windblown hazelnuts and squelching my way through unripe apples, plums and even the odd overripe (sometimes you just can’t win!) cherry.
Just to prove their ongoing superiority in the “who can eat all the hazelnuts” contest the squirrels have also littered the place with cracked and emptied hazelnut shells. Little grey buggers.
The river near where I live is almost entirely lined with two of the most invasive alien plant species in the UK – Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam. There seems to be nothing positive about Japanese Knotweed but at least Himalayan Balsam is vaguely attractive. The big downside to both is their vigorous growth which overpowers most natives to create a rapidly spreading monoculture. As any budding (or fully formed) ecologist will tell you, this isn’t a good thing.
The one good thing is that you can eat parts of both plants, just like that other watery invader the signal crayfish. It probably won’t make much impact but at least you feel like you’re doing something more positive than just destroying them.
The seed of the Himalayan Balsam is widely eaten and tastes very nutty. In a few weeks time the explosive spring loaded seed heads will be ready to burst. An impressive sight if you ever find yourself at a loose end while hanging around a Himalayan Balsam patch!
Where I live Hazelnuts are grown everywhere and there are lots of wild plants. Two parks I regularly walk in have Hazelnut orchards that have been abandoned and the nuts are free for the taking. I am also finding apple trees everywhere, along streams overhanging sidewalks, abandoned fields. And of course the blackberries are worse then weeds, we picked five gallons of black berries in two hours in early August. Other berries grow in abundance as well. If I didn’t have so many interesting things to do with my time I would like to try one summer to see just exactly how much food I could gather if I worked at it.
Perhaps our government will collapse our economy and make this a necessity and then I will find out.
Using foraged food as a regular part of your diet would be a really interesting project, especially if you follow the seasons and take what’s available. It’d give you a great appreciation of the ups and downs of nature’s bounty!
Let us know how you get on.