In Autumn there is nothing better than taking the little ones foraging. The kids get fresh air and learn plant identification and you get to bring some natural produce home and try some delicious nutrient rich recipes once you get home.
Before I get to the tips I’m going to do a little safety briefing… always do your own research on plant identification and make sure you never pick or eat anything that you are not 100% sure is edible and safe. Always make sure you know whether it is safe to eat raw or not as some plants can only be eaten once cooked or properly processed.
Next please make sure you know what plants to avoid… Deadly Nightshade is on the increase all over the UK and their ‘blueberry-like berries’ are -as the name suggests- highly toxic and deadly. There are also plants like Giant Hogweed that will burn your skin badly enough to need hospital treatment and trees like Yew that could kill you if you eat their leaves or seeds. You may be thinking “Well I’m not that daft!” but you must remember if you forage with children or teens (heck, even some adults!) they may mistakenly think they can eat any berry they come across or perhaps wrongly identify a plant ending in them getting hurt. The way I do it is by telling my children they must not pick berries or plants when I’m not with them and they must also ask before going to pick something. I also teach them (well my four year old – as my one year old just observes at the moment) which plants will hurt them as we have Deadly Nightshade and Yew growing all over in our area.
Lastly P.P.E. (Personal Protective Clothing). You’ll probably notice my kids don’t have P.P.E. – I did get wrong for this when my other half saw the photos… So! In light of that! I advise you and your Little’s wear gloves to protect from thorns, snag free clothing, sturdy footwear and eye protection. Nuff said.
Firstly Rose Hips, you can pull them off the bush but chances are you’ll get snagged by some pretty vicious thorns so I suggest taking some secateurs or sharp scissors to snip off the hips. Also only pick the red hips that aren’t marked or discoloured for longer lasting preserves.
You can twist off the blossom end and discard before you put the hip in the bucket, basket or bag to save having to do it at home.
You can also (if you’re comfortable doing so) let your child have a go snipping the hips from the bush, it’s great for practising hand eye coordination and getting them interested in foraging. Little T snipped a hip in half and had a good look at the seeds inside. Both T and Little Miss had a good look at the hips.
Do be warned though – some of the hips have spiny hairs on that can prick your fingers so make sure you check the hip before passing it to your child.
Sea Buckthorn.
Sea Buckthorn berries. Beware the spines.
The spines on the Sea Buckthorn are strategically placed both on the branches and amongst the berries themselves making them a tricky customer to forage.
I tried to pick some berries from the shrub but the skin was thin on the berry and pulling merely popped the berry resulting in being covered in orange coloured berry juice. I found the best way was to cut a berry laden section of branch off and snip off the leaves and spines before putting it in the bucket.
I then read that if you freeze the berry laden branches it’s much easier to remove the berries, but first you must remove the leaves, wash the berries on the branches and then cut the branches to fit in a freezer bag or container.
Once washed let them drain then dry slightly before freezing them. I made the mistake of just shaking them dry and found there was a lot of water frozen at the bottom of the bag when I got them out of the freezer. Once frozen you can snap the berries off and re-bag them for your freezer or use the juice in drinks, cook them, preserve them or use them in cosmetics. Check out my blog for a post containing a collection of Sea Buckthorn recipes I found online and on Facebook groups.
Thank you for reading!! I hope you have fun foraging and if you have any questions or comments please leave them below and I’ll try to get back to you soon!
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