![]() ![]() Flowers form in drooping clusers towards the ends of the stems and this is, of course, where the fruits later form. The undersides of the leaves are a silvery green. These plants tend to form a stand of multiple plants in one area. It’s hard to beat a ripe raspberry – one of the forager’s delights. Raspberry plants are more upright than brambles, with woody stems but still with prickles, particularly on the greener parts. The raspberry, Rubus idaeus, like its cousin the blackberry, is an easily-identified composite fruit. ![]() Blackberries are one of our best and most easily accessible wild fruits. Later ripening blackberries are not always so flavoursome but can be added to fruit pies or made into jams for enjoyment through the winter. These should always be picked and enjoyed raw. The earliest ripening and often the sweetest and biggest berries are found at the ends of shoots. The season for blackberries is pretty wide, with fruits on the same bush ripening over a period of time. ![]() This being said, there is plenty of archaeological evidence that our stone age ancestors also enjoyed these berries in abundance. Ripe blackberry fruits are sweet and pleasing to our modern palate. Blackberries are ubiquitous but also one of our best and most easily accessible wild fruits. It’s extremely difficult to confuse these globular compound fruits with anything less benign. Blackberries are a safe starting point for would-be foragers young and old. Besides, they are a great introduction to foraging, both for kids as well as inexperienced adults wishing to learn about wild foods. Yes, they are widespread and common but they are also sweet and flavoursome. Blackberriesīlackberries, the fruit of brambles, Rubus fruticosus agg, are ubiquitous but shouldn’t be dismissed out of familiarity. All of the following berries occur in significant quantities in the UK as well as much of northwestern Europe. Some also represent important survival foods, particularly those persisting right into the winter months. From a bushcraft and survival perspective, all of these berries could augment your diet while out and about. Several of the berries here such as bilberry and cowberry represent very important seasonal food sources for the more northerly peoples of the northern hemisphere. ![]() From an historical perspective, a good number of the berries listed here have been important foods, particularly for people not reliant on agricultural crops. Moreover, many wild berry species are highly nutritious containing not only energy but also many vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients that are hard to find so easily, or in such concentrations, elsewhere. There are some great free fruit flavours out there if only you take the time to seek them out. Most of our native berries are overlooked or avoided by the majority of the population, even though much fruit from around the world is bought in supermarkets and enjoyed by many. Edible berries generally require little processing yet most are also easily preserved as a jelly, jam or leather. Berries are easy to spot, often grow in quantity and are relatively easy to collect compared to, say, digging up roots and other underground storage organs. Late summer and early autumn is the berry high season. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |