Natures Harvest is bountiful in September. Take a walk in the countryside. See the gorgeous colours and find the many wild fruits, nuts and fungi ready to harvest. The most traditional and easiest to spot are blackberries. Their purple jewel berries are everywhere this year, it is a real bumper crop. Other foods can be found too, but if you are not sure don’t pick.
Natures harvest in your hedgerows
Many of the local hedgerows are abundant. Recently we have seen these easily recognised fruits
- Blackberries – who can resist a blackberry and apple crumble! Often in hedgerows on road edges, make sure you are safe from passing traffic before picking, and watch out for the thorns
- Crab apples – these tiny sour apples make a delicious jelly
- Damsons – tart, packed with flavour, great for jam, puddings and to flavour gin
- Plums – often smaller than the ones in the supermarket they are full of flavour, great to eat or cook depending on sweetness
- Sloes – these small berries can be added to jams and preserves or of course steeped with sugar to make sloe gin.
If you are able to beat the squirrels you might be able to harvest walnuts, hazelnuts and cobnuts with the sweet chestnuts and conkers coming in the next month.
In the fields and woods fungi are growing. Many are poisonous so if you are unsure, leave them to the experts who can recognise the edible ones.
Here at Chopwell we are being asked to tidy gardens and hedges ready for the winter. Now is a great time to trim a hedge, it will not grow much until next spring, so will look tidy all winter. Cutting a hedge back to the size and shape you require will maximise the light in your garden during the darker winter months. If you want your garden tidied give Chopwell a call. Our friendly professional team are waiting to hear from you.
