Foraging: The time is ripe (and so is the fruit)

We've entered the best time of year for foraging beginners, like me. This is because not only is wild food at its most abundant in late summer/early autumn, it's also the time when all the easily identifiable stuff, like blackberries, are ripening, instead of random spring greens that need half an hour to identify each leaf.

My tip for the day is take a tupperware or a ziplock bag with you every single time you leave the house. I've got into the habit of chucking an empty tupperware into the basket under the pram every day (even easier now that I am Monday-Challenging myself to new heights of organisation), but keeping a ziplock bag in your handbag or pocket is doable even for the busiest of souls.

As I'm out and about, I just grab anything that's ripe, from blackberries on the footpath I walk up practically daily with Teddy to the windfall apples from the tree in the park. Rather than trying to persuade myself to go to all the effort of making one small pot of jam at a time, I'm storing the fruit in the (little, still on) freezer, so when I finally have a sensible amount I can start with the recipes.

 I already have getting on for a kilo of blackberries, which (when I've got more) I'm planning to turn into blackberry syrup/cordial, and lots of blackberry jam. Possibly some blackberry ice cream, but I'm thinking I can just mix the syrup with some leftover frozen blackberries for making ice cream at a later date if I want.

 I'm a bit scared of the rosehips, as you need to deal with them carefully to prevent getting any of the hair from the seeds into whatever you make, but apparently you can make yummy syrup, jams and all sorts. Will be good to experiment. I'm also wondering whether I can use the hips in the garden to similar effect, or if they won't have as strong a flavour as the wild dog rose and rosa rugosa.

 I'm also chopping apples and freezing them every time I get a couple more. I've got absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with them (all cookers), but if all else fails they can either get chucked into a christmas chutney or I can make some herby apple jelly to go with roasts. Seems a shame to let them go to waste!

 I've also found a cherry tree, but due to only getting a tiny handful at a time, and being too lazy to stone them, I just keep them in the fruit bowl for snacking on rather than making cherry pie or something ambitious like that. Possibly it's time to think about a smaller fruit bowl though.

I've also (I think) found walnut, hazelnut and sweet chestnut trees. I'm not a massive fan of nuts, but I'm thinking I might be able to create some kind of sugar roasted nut thing for christmas.