Notlaw
Dubbel Dragon
Damsons, sloes, elderberries, wild mint, crab apples, wild strawberries, wild raspberries, gooseberries, sheep sorrel... all of these things I have had in the last 12 months, within 2 miles of my front door.
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Damsons, sloes, elderberries, wild mint, crab apples, wild strawberries, wild raspberries, gooseberries, sheep sorrel... all of these things I have had in the last 12 months, within 2 miles of my front door.
Last year me and the kids went and picked loads and loads of blackberries.. they had them little grubs on which is normal in teh wild.. we washed them and froze them... I wonder whether I should try a blackberry cider or something with them?
Notlaw
Dubbel Dragon
Really? I'll have to have a look for them. I like to take the kids up there at the weekends once it gets a bit less squidgy underfoot. Beacon Fell is only about 4 or 5 miles away from me.
Notlaw
Dubbel Dragon
Definitely, blackberry cider is a lovely summer drink. Get it going this afternoon!!
cheshirehomebrew
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I have loads of damnson frozen, I have a few trees in my garden and the last 2 years have been bumber crops.
Young new oak leaves can be used, boil them up and the remaining water will be oak flavoured. There are loads of thngs in the countryside near me, sloes logan berries wild rasberries sorrel etc
Young new oak leaves can be used, boil them up and the remaining water will be oak flavoured. There are loads of thngs in the countryside near me, sloes logan berries wild rasberries sorrel etc
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Yeah I grew up in that there Lytham. If you Google, there are recent references to bilberry/wimberry picking on Beacon Fell. I picked some a few years back in the Macclesfield forest and made some pies, eldest son said it was the best pie he'd ever had, despite my rudimentary pastry skills. Late July/early August I think is picking time.
HarrowBrewer
Regular.
I've just picked up a copy of Andy Hamilton's "Booze For Free" which is a pretty comprehensive guide to what can be made from foraged ingredients. Lots of wines, but some interesting ales. Nettle Beer, Mugwort Porter...
Maybe I'll purchase a copy of that. I'd like a foraging calendar, I do plenty of walking but never know what look for and when, other than a few obvious things.
HarrowBrewer
Regular.
Helpfully, the book is arranged by seasons, and seems to have pretty good advice on what to look out for and what to avoid.
brumbrew
Regular dufus
Dandelions a plenty in fields where I live, just can't find the burdock though :-(
Dutto
Landlord.
:thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
There's a good reason why dandelions were called "**** the Bed"! :whistle: :whistle:
Dutto
Landlord.
Check out ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spruce_beer
They were using Spruce well before the mega brewers of today tried to grab all of the marketplace for themselves! :thumb:
brumbrew
Regular dufus
Lol I remember the '**** the bed' thing.
Apparently dandelions are customarily picked on st. George's day.
And I've done it three years in a row now.
Dandelion mead with sauterne yeast is just wonderful!
Edit: forgot the Burdock
I can always find plants that look like it but don't seem to have the same root structure as what's intended.
Plus, foraging can be dengerous if you can't identify what it is correctly.
Apparently dandelions are customarily picked on st. George's day.
And I've done it three years in a row now.
Dandelion mead with sauterne yeast is just wonderful!
Edit: forgot the Burdock
I can always find plants that look like it but don't seem to have the same root structure as what's intended.
Plus, foraging can be dengerous if you can't identify what it is correctly.
HebridesRob
Landlord.
Also (Fraoch Leann)...
http://www.rampantscotland.com/know/blknow_heatherale.htm
The only things I'm going to be able to forage around here are heather and sheep's droppings. If he isn't going to allow me heather I'm going to be sending him a sample of ale made with the other.
Found this post about making Spruce Beer on an American site:
I 'discovered' spruce beer while I was putting together recipes for my historic brewing demonstrations.
http://picasaweb.google.com/picobrew/HistoricBrewing#
My historic mash tun is half of a whiskey barrel with a hole in the bottom. To separate the grain from the wort I would use straw or pine branches - these don't add any flavor but work pretty well.
One day I used spruce branches - WOW
The key to using spruce is - not to boil it!
All my spruce goes into the mash - and I use lots of it! - 5 to 7# per 10 gallons.
I use - 'any old spruce' - mostly white (less flavorful) or blue (more flavorful).
I usually use the last 3 tips on a tree. These tips are usually 4 to 6" long. I leave them attached to each other - as this makes for a better - more stable - filter bed in my mash.
If you use an 'old X-mas tree' - make sure it does not have tinsel!
If I were going to do this in an extract batch I would steep the spruce boughs in the water - before adding the extract - at between 140 - 165F for 30 to 60 min. Remove the spruce before adding the extract. Proceed as usual.
Spruce can be used in most any style - my favorites to date would be - Belgian Spruce IPA, Hoppy Spruce Stout, Sour Smoked Spruce Beer.
If you have a smaller quantity of spruce - some brewers in the group - have had success adding a pound or less at the end of the boil - steeped for a few minutes before cooling.
I have never done much with the 'young new growth' - when I chew on it - it has more of a green grassy flavor - and have never had enough to try by it's self.
Trimming spruce trees will stunt their growth as mine are not 'spreading out' much any more - that is why I am using more white spruce these day than blue spruce.
And someone added:
For the FWIW file, with juniper I steep the branches in hot water for several hours and then use the water for all the operations. Sounds like spruce could work the same way, especially if only put in the mash.
I 'discovered' spruce beer while I was putting together recipes for my historic brewing demonstrations.
http://picasaweb.google.com/picobrew/HistoricBrewing#
My historic mash tun is half of a whiskey barrel with a hole in the bottom. To separate the grain from the wort I would use straw or pine branches - these don't add any flavor but work pretty well.
One day I used spruce branches - WOW
The key to using spruce is - not to boil it!
All my spruce goes into the mash - and I use lots of it! - 5 to 7# per 10 gallons.
I use - 'any old spruce' - mostly white (less flavorful) or blue (more flavorful).
I usually use the last 3 tips on a tree. These tips are usually 4 to 6" long. I leave them attached to each other - as this makes for a better - more stable - filter bed in my mash.
If you use an 'old X-mas tree' - make sure it does not have tinsel!
If I were going to do this in an extract batch I would steep the spruce boughs in the water - before adding the extract - at between 140 - 165F for 30 to 60 min. Remove the spruce before adding the extract. Proceed as usual.
Spruce can be used in most any style - my favorites to date would be - Belgian Spruce IPA, Hoppy Spruce Stout, Sour Smoked Spruce Beer.
If you have a smaller quantity of spruce - some brewers in the group - have had success adding a pound or less at the end of the boil - steeped for a few minutes before cooling.
I have never done much with the 'young new growth' - when I chew on it - it has more of a green grassy flavor - and have never had enough to try by it's self.
Trimming spruce trees will stunt their growth as mine are not 'spreading out' much any more - that is why I am using more white spruce these day than blue spruce.
And someone added:
For the FWIW file, with juniper I steep the branches in hot water for several hours and then use the water for all the operations. Sounds like spruce could work the same way, especially if only put in the mash.
There are delicious wild raspberries and strawberries on box hill in Surrey. Hard work to find enough to make it worthwhile, I'll give you that.
Plums, damsons. Doesn't poachers choice use plums?
Elderflowers and berries, though not sure about the berries in beer. I've got a good recipe for hedgerow ketchup that uses them with blackberries, hawthorn and crab apples.
Blackberries as you point out, ive got a huge bramble patch behind my back garden and pretty much exclusive access.
Cherries, if you're lucky enough to have them growing wild (I know of a few trees near my parents in Wales!)
Juniper. Christ knows where that grows though.
Not quite as bleak as you make out, but not exactly easy pickings either.
Personally I like my beer beery, so I forage, but not for brewing purposes.
I do love free wild food though.
Dutto
Landlord.
I like the sound of cherries!!
There are loads of cherry trees scattered in an around Skegness (the step on the No.39 Town Bus turns purple in season) and whereas the fruit is more "cherry-stone" than "cherry" and useless for eating the sheer quantity of them would make them viable for flavouring a beer.
Like it!:thumb::thumb:
Now all I have to do is to remember to leave an FV spare around August! :whistle:
:whistle:
There are loads of cherry trees scattered in an around Skegness (the step on the No.39 Town Bus turns purple in season) and whereas the fruit is more "cherry-stone" than "cherry" and useless for eating the sheer quantity of them would make them viable for flavouring a beer.
Like it!:thumb::thumb:
Now all I have to do is to remember to leave an FV spare around August! :whistle:
:whistle:
MyQul
Chairman of the Bored
I like the sound of cherries!!
There are loads of cherry trees scattered in an around Skegness (the step on the No.39 Town Bus turns purple in season) and whereas the fruit is more "cherry-stone" than "cherry" and useless for eating the sheer quantity of them would make them viable for flavouring a beer.
Like it!:thumb::thumb:
Now all I have to do is to remember to leave an FV spare around August! :whistle:
There are rows of cherry tree in the park opposite my apparment block. The main path through the park is an old railway line covered over and either side of the path are cherry trees. I could pick an FV full if I wanted to, especially as I could just carry my ladder over to the park and get at all the cherries most park users couldn't reach
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