Selfsufficientish.com

I went for a walk with one of my mates yesterday and we got a kilo of cherries between us. Had a quick google and found that this could have cost us £10! We picked from one of the public parks in Bristol right in the heart of one of the poorest areas. Why are there not more people doing the same?

I have spied a load of apple trees, plum trees and blackberries around. I think that if I can store them well enough I might not have to buy fruit or jam until next summer. Well apples and blackberries anyway. It amazes me that in the middle of one of countries biggest cities there is so much free fruit. - In fact I was in Hyde park the other week and there were a few cherry trees there, might be a bit late for them now though.

It's another good reason to "carry a bag" - you can put your free cherries etc. in it.

It's cherry season. I picked 14lb of cherries from our tree today. At T***o prices that's £44 worth of cherries. Yay!

14lb!

I have my eye on a rathr nice sweet chestnut tree on the edge of a cra park in a small market town near here - oeverhanging the pavement by a goodly few feet........... 8)

my mate fould a load of wild cherries recently.

i think he is making some form of alcoholic drink out of them.

I think I've come to to the conclusion that one of the trees out in our garden is a wild cherry tree. No idea if I'll manage to get the fruit from it though as it's really high up! So what can I make with wild cherries? pie?

Kirsty (newbie to wild food, but enjoying all the wild raspberries I keep finding. Might not bother buying any to plant next year!)

Kirstykbart wrote:I think I've come to to the conclusion that one of the trees out in our garden is a wild cherry tree. No idea if I'll manage to get the fruit from it though as it's really high up! So what can I make with wild cherries? pie?

Kirsty (newbie to wild food, but enjoying all the wild raspberries I keep finding. Might not bother buying any to plant next year!)

yep I made a cherry and rhubarb pie the other day, well nice.

Yay!!

well after noticing I did have a cherry tree in my garden I was a bit upset that a) there were hardly any cherries on it and b) that what was tehre was too high up. Anyway, after havign a wee walk about the farm (said loosely, not a working farm as hardly any land left) yesterday I spied loads of cherry trees in an area of woodland that I think has been fairly newly planted just outside where we live. Took the kids today to look and managed to come back with loads of cherries!!

Now all I need to know is what to look out for with plum and apple trees and I'll be sorted!! Don't think I've seen any yet, but I'm really not very good or experienced with this sort of thing. We do have quite a few hazelnut trees/bushes at the same area so that will be worth investigating.

Kirsty

well plums and apples are both easy to spot at the moment 'cos they're in fruit so its a good time to look :)

Been looking this year and have found 5 apple trees, 2 plum trees and loads of cherry trees in the local area as wel as loads of blackberries. already made 12 pots of jam and i am going to go back for some plums next week for more.

There's a big patch of brambles near me that are never picked. Trouble is, it's by a busy road. Will the traffic fumes have tainted the fruit or would they be okay after washing?

I wouldn't - I'd have thought that heavy metal contamination would be a distinct possibility. Can I recommend you take up one of my hobbies... trespassing?

All the best things out there, you're not supposed to see. Over the years that's meant tiny private observatories, private boating lakes and a purpose-built stone circle complete with hand-carved altar. Wonderful. Naturally I damage nothing, leave nothing, take nothing that looks like it's there on purpose, and don't go near any houses.

Yes, I would also stay away from anything near a busy road. Fortunately where we are there are no busy roads! Have picked masses of red currants (grow wild), black currants (planted by the castle estate nearby, mainly for wildlife and birds - but we are allowed to pick). They've also planted a few Josta berries recently - so next year there'll be those for jam too. Raspberries are just about everywhere - including my friend's garden, and she didn't have time to use them all!

Brambles are looking a bit dry - don't know whether they've suffered too much from the long dry spell we had. But I've heard it's a good year for blaeberries - now I've just got to go out and find them! They are my favourites. All that plus the stuff I had in my garden (strawberries, and a few gooseberries) - haven't had to buy fruit for weeks. Oh well, apart from a bunch of bananas the other day...

You have all sorts of interesting sounding things Ina! What are Josta berries and blaeberries?

right. free fruit is an excellent reason to go to my local nature reserve!