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Seasonal Foraging

Discussion in 'Hobbies and Interests' started by Eric Wanderweg, Jul 15, 2020.

  1. Warner

    Warner

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    Did you girdle the wine berry?
     
  2. Eric Wanderweg

    Eric Wanderweg

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    I've been thinking about it, just got to find some small enough sharp rocks to do it. :D
     
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  3. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    I believe the red mulberries are edible and the white is not.

    Found a small mulberry the other day but it is tight against a spruce that I dont think I can dig it out.

    20210527_1748525196961045475506942.jpeg

    We have black cap raspberries here. They are just past flowered out and berries forming. They should be ready around the fourth of July week.

    We also have some Blackberry canes, but in two years they have not produced. Not even blossoms.
     
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  4. moresnow

    moresnow

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    We have many Mulberry tree's around my place. I recommend them for sure! Prepare for stained hands.....
     
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  5. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    The whites are edible too...I actually prefer them I think...all mulberries are kind of a mild flavor...
     
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  6. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    I stand corrected.:BrianK: Red and black prefered flavor over white.
     
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  7. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    You might be surprised...even if you have to "work it over" to get it out of there...they're pretty tough (weed tree really) and will probably survive...
     
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  8. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    I looked at it closer today and it was cut back in the past. There is a small 1" "stump" and the new growth has grown out of it. It is pretty set. I thought it was just a new sapling easily dug. I'll keep looking around and I may luck out with another one.
     
  9. Sandhillbilly

    Sandhillbilly

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    Are those the same as elderberries? There’s something around here that I think are elderberry and look pretty similar to the picture
     
  10. Woodwidow

    Woodwidow

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    No I don't think they are. We have elderberries around here but they are red and I don't think people harvest them. The bushes are quite different from each other. A lot of the salal branches are harvested for floral bouquets as they really stand up to travel.
     
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  11. Sirchopsalot

    Sirchopsalot

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    We have Autumn Olives here. They are invasive, and pretty. They're bushes with leaves dark green on top, silvery on bottom, smooth oval with pointed ends. They grow to 10 feet tall, and produce hundreds of pea-sized red berries with tiny yellow speckles and a wee little pit. The berries are astringent (make you pucker) till after a frost, then mellow out.

    The birds eat the berries and spread them like wild fire. They grow well in poor soil.

    The berries make an awesome jam, and have lotsa pectin, and lycopene (found in tomatoes i think, and very good for the prostate gland).

    I think steaming or blanching them, and then milling with a Foley food mill was the key. Because of the pits, not sure they're good for much "off the shelf".

    Because they are tiny, it takes a while, perhaps with multiple people to pick an appreciable amount. On a healthy plant, the berries tend to cluster.

    Sca
     
  12. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    I was out along the tree line on the neighbors side looking at an autumn olive to remove and chip. There are a lot of bittersweet vines and other brush to remove next to it. Wouldn't you know it, I found two mulberry trees loaded with berries. I'll get them opened up and see how it goes. The neighbors are great about letting me maintain the tree line.

    Also found some more black cap raspberries that did not produce last year.

    20210614_170105.jpg

    20210614_170058.jpg
     
  13. ReelFaster

    ReelFaster

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    Thought I read that white was sweetest of them all and make for great jams. I have a white mulberry out back, always tried to pick them to try making a jam but the birds and squirrels always beat me to it. Apparently they won't ripen off the tree.
     
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  14. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    Black caps are ready.

    20210625_193852.jpg

    20210625_194718.jpg

    Birds are getting the mulberries as soon as they are ripe.
     
  15. Eric Wanderweg

    Eric Wanderweg

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    I just went out for the first time picking black cherries. Maybe about a pound here so far. I think I’ll need more if I’m going to make jelly, but I probably have enough here to cook down and make a little syrup with.
    100EE443-06C4-415C-8523-F3B12E0AAA6F.jpeg
     
  16. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    I hope it works out. Are you following a recipe, or winging it?
     
  17. Eric Wanderweg

    Eric Wanderweg

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    More or less winging it tonight. I ended up picking a lot more, so now I’m trying to make jelly using the same process as when I make wild grape jelly.
     
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  18. Eric Wanderweg

    Eric Wanderweg

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    Small batch for now. You can see in the bowl I’ve got a ton more cherries to work with. Hopefully this 1/2 jar sets up overnight and I can try some on toast in the morning. From the taste of the spoon I used to stir the concoction, this stuff tastes pretty good :)
    B0E90259-D1F2-4C94-AC8D-EE5C50BC9CB4.jpeg
     
  19. MikeInMa

    MikeInMa

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    How do you go about removing the pits? They're the majority of the cherry.
     
  20. Eric Wanderweg

    Eric Wanderweg

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    It was very tedious and time consuming. I would grab a handful, squeeze the pits out over a large saucepan, drop the skin/juice/fruit into the pan, and toss the pits into a bowl (I’d like to try planting some in the spring) After about 45 minutes I had enough of that. Some recipes I see people just tossing them into the cooking pot whole, but knowing the pits contain cyanide I was more than a little leery...
     
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