Turbotez
Regular.
Simple question really........
Elderflowers from the side of the road, infected by polution or good for the brew?? :thumb:
Elderflowers from the side of the road, infected by polution or good for the brew?? :thumb:
Urban Elderflowerz???
- Thread starter Turbotez
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Samarith
Regular.
Depends on the traffic but I tend to steer clear of roadside ones.
50 ft back from the roadside and the polution levels drop quite sharply.
My personal preference though is for graveyard elderflowers and berrys, the wine just seems to have more body. :whistle:
50 ft back from the roadside and the polution levels drop quite sharply.
My personal preference though is for graveyard elderflowers and berrys, the wine just seems to have more body. :whistle:
granda
Active Member
if you give them good wash and its a road with not very heavy traffic they should be ok
31bb3
Landlord.
the wine just seems to have more body.
Well something has to have more body :rofl:
Well something has to have more body :rofl:
snail59
Regular.
Just dont pick anything BELOW waist height :whistle:
Turbotez
Regular.
thanks guys, will stick to teh cut (canal) then!!
Not fanceying grave yards, they scare me lol
Not fanceying grave yards, they scare me lol
Cussword
Landlord.
snail59 said:
Wee, no, sorry, why :shock:
petescountrybrews
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your main worries with roadside elderflowers (or blackberries, sloes....anything roadside) are:
1) dog wee (depending on location, also think about human pee on drunken 3am fridays etc)
2) physical road side dust --- have a little google on 'road side dust' - its made up of a whole lot of volatile chemicals, petroleum products and derivatives, erroded car parts, rust, heavy metals, salts, ultra fine particles (PM1, PM5, &PM10s), and a whole host of other really nasty stuff. This dust, and especially with the PM ultrafine particles, end up not only on the road but circulate in the air and a layer will settle on anything, flowers and berries included.
3) Absorbed pollution --- heavy metals are my main concern when foraging in non natural areas. Zinc, mercury, lead, etc...all in very small amounts, and wont cause too much damage in a single dose, but when consumed regularly (i.e. a batch of wine) they build up in your body causing horrible health effects that generally go undiagnosed or mis-diagnosed and can lead to permanent damage and death.
***Also, any of you who may have an allotment or grow veg in your garden, (or generally when you are gathering anything for consumption) its reeeeallly worth taking stock of 1)the surroundings of the site you are growing on and 2) its history. If theres any history or proximity to and sort of industrial activity, or anything that deals in the production or use of chemicals (think of things you wouldnt normally go for - car washes and garages are bad ones - think of all the oil leaching into the soil...). If you have even the slightest chance of runoff from these places to where you are growing / picking, then find somewhere else. If its allotments, create raised beds with a lined/sealed bottom and get some good organic compost to fill them. DONT THINK ITS SAFE just because its a council based or other official allotment. I am currently conducting a study on a council allotment site in the north that is adjacent to a small scale recycling works. The site looks beautiful, but heavy metal runoff from the copper recycling has generated levels in the soil 5 times above the recommended safe limits. With bioaccumulation this can give you doses up to 10 times the safe level in some types of veg. deffinately not what i want when you spend all that effort and care growing.
So not to try to scare or worry or put anyone off from growing and gathering...just take stock of where it is, and what is happening around it.
For any veg gardeners -- have a little google of mycorrhizae --- a fungal organism that lives in the soil in symbiosis with the plants, acting as an extension of the root system, giving the plant access to more water, more nutrients, and acts as a buffer against some of these pollutants, as well as spreading beneficial chemicals (pest resistance) from one plant to another. Hundreads of amazing interactions that make your plants so much happier and healthier. Available from a company online and in garden centres - cant remember the name but google will - fairly decent bags for 2 quid or something. well worth it.
Ok, so probably a bit of topic, but this is my current area of research so though i might share. :)
1) dog wee (depending on location, also think about human pee on drunken 3am fridays etc)
2) physical road side dust --- have a little google on 'road side dust' - its made up of a whole lot of volatile chemicals, petroleum products and derivatives, erroded car parts, rust, heavy metals, salts, ultra fine particles (PM1, PM5, &PM10s), and a whole host of other really nasty stuff. This dust, and especially with the PM ultrafine particles, end up not only on the road but circulate in the air and a layer will settle on anything, flowers and berries included.
3) Absorbed pollution --- heavy metals are my main concern when foraging in non natural areas. Zinc, mercury, lead, etc...all in very small amounts, and wont cause too much damage in a single dose, but when consumed regularly (i.e. a batch of wine) they build up in your body causing horrible health effects that generally go undiagnosed or mis-diagnosed and can lead to permanent damage and death.
***Also, any of you who may have an allotment or grow veg in your garden, (or generally when you are gathering anything for consumption) its reeeeallly worth taking stock of 1)the surroundings of the site you are growing on and 2) its history. If theres any history or proximity to and sort of industrial activity, or anything that deals in the production or use of chemicals (think of things you wouldnt normally go for - car washes and garages are bad ones - think of all the oil leaching into the soil...). If you have even the slightest chance of runoff from these places to where you are growing / picking, then find somewhere else. If its allotments, create raised beds with a lined/sealed bottom and get some good organic compost to fill them. DONT THINK ITS SAFE just because its a council based or other official allotment. I am currently conducting a study on a council allotment site in the north that is adjacent to a small scale recycling works. The site looks beautiful, but heavy metal runoff from the copper recycling has generated levels in the soil 5 times above the recommended safe limits. With bioaccumulation this can give you doses up to 10 times the safe level in some types of veg. deffinately not what i want when you spend all that effort and care growing.
So not to try to scare or worry or put anyone off from growing and gathering...just take stock of where it is, and what is happening around it.
For any veg gardeners -- have a little google of mycorrhizae --- a fungal organism that lives in the soil in symbiosis with the plants, acting as an extension of the root system, giving the plant access to more water, more nutrients, and acts as a buffer against some of these pollutants, as well as spreading beneficial chemicals (pest resistance) from one plant to another. Hundreads of amazing interactions that make your plants so much happier and healthier. Available from a company online and in garden centres - cant remember the name but google will - fairly decent bags for 2 quid or something. well worth it.
Ok, so probably a bit of topic, but this is my current area of research so though i might share. :)
Turbotez
Regular.
OMG :shock:
Guest
PCB is undoubtedly correct, but if you live or work on a busy road, you're breathing the damn stuff in anyway!
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