Foraging

Alex and I spent a large part of the weekend blackberry and cobnut (hazelnut) picking in the little country lanes around our village. We came home happy, bags full of loot and with hands and faces covered in black sticky juice. I never knew you could eat cobnuts raw but they taste a bit like crunchy peas and they are delicious in salads (thanks to Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and a timely article in the Guardian). I am also letting them dry out before roasting them so I can use them in cakes etc around Christmas time. I think the rainy summer has helped the fruit this year as everywhere seems to be bursting with produce. Apparently it is a great year for apples as well. One thing we do well in England is apples - tart, crispy, bursting with juice. I can't wait for harvest time. I dream of one day having a garden big enough for some fruit trees; plums, apples, pears. My grandfather's garden in Scotland had a great orchard and some of my happiest memories are picking fruit and making crumble with Grandma. My parents have a large garden with fruit trees so I hope Alex enjoys his time at their house doing much the same things as I did. It is so immensely satisfying to grow, pick and cook your own. My Mum also makes great jam and chutney from their fruit trees which I treasure like liquid gold.