This guest post has been kindly written for us by Peter Conde – a keen fisherman and knowledgable forager! Find him here on Twitter.

I usually have a couple of Tesco bags (other brands are available!) folded in my tackle bag so I can pick anything worthwhile on fishing trips.  However timing is important here,  if you gather stuff  too early in the day you could end up with a very heavy tackle bag.  So when possible, I forage on my way back to the car at the end of the day, or pick and hide my gathering for collection on my way back from fishing.

Things that I have foraged include gooseberries from a couple of bushes that have self-seeded at the bottom end of my stream and are usually good for a pound or two in summer. Elderberries are easily found by streams and in hedgerows and make excellent wine, a tasty cordial and are a staple to go into hedgerow jam.  They can also be made into Elderberry vinegar which is great as a salad dressing, on risotto or with meat (if you like balsamic vinegar you’ll like elderberry!).  They are however bulky and squash easily so picking at the end of the day is good.

Sloes (the fruit of the blackthorn bush) are one of my favourite, they can be used in hedgerow jam but also in the making of Sloe Gin.  In the Autumn I can never seem to gather enough sloes to meet demand from friends who want a bottle; last Autumn I made 18 litres and it all went far too quickly!  One sloe bush I like grows right out of the river bank so only an angler in waders can get at what is usually a bumper crop,  ideal for the forager but be careful of your waders as  the thorns are numerous, long and sharp and can make a sieve out of your expensive breathables.   A bonus with sloes is that the fruit you have used to make Sloe Gin can then be re-used to make boozy sloe jam!

Almost any stream or hedgerow will have hawthorn bushes near it, and the berries can be used in several ways including as an ingredient for hedgerow jam.  Blackberries are a well known and easily recognised favourite with jam makers, or used on their own in puddings and cheesecakes.  Rose hips are useful for syrup and as an extra ingredient in hedgerow jam.

Depending on the water quality and how much you trust it, you may find watercress which you can use is great in salads or as a snack while fishing.  Crab-apples are plentiful and can be used in many ways, (except eaten raw!) but they are bulky and heavy so best picked after you’ve finished fishing.

If you’re fishing remote hill lakes look out for wimberries, also called blueberries amongst other local names.  They grow on hillsides, especially in Wales, but once again pick on your way home as they are easily squashed and leave a deep purple stain!

Various Fungi grow all year and mushrooms are a favourite of mine.  As well as the common field mushrooms, I am particularly fond of Chanterelles, these mushrooms are easily recognised by their orange colour and fluted trumpet shape. They grow mainly in damp conditions near silver birch trees but tend to be found mainly in late summer or autumn.

A word of warning on mushrooms and fungi: I was surprised to learn that many fungi are actually edible, however some unpalatable and there are some that will make you ill, or worse, so be very sure on identification before you pick!

Resources

  • Collins Nature Guide “Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe” is comprehensive, identifying 415 species and for foraging purposes provides excellent advice on the “good the bad and the ugly”!
  • Richard Maybey’s book “Food for Free” is an excellent guide to all sorts of edible plants in Britain. I think it was last re-printed in the 1980s so it might be hard to get hold of.  I got my copy from Coch-y-Bonddu books (which has to be one of the best angling and outdoors and countryside bookshops in the UK and is well worth visiting or checking on the internet) but you can also try Amazon.
  • One final book I can recommend is one I got for my wife and is one of her favourites, “The Hedgerow Handbook” by Adele Nozedar has good illustrations to identify fruit and plants and tasty recipes for just about everything you’re ever likely to find while foraging.

Book Photo
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