Free is always frugal.
There’s nothing better than free food.
I was reading another blog, a commenter mentioned Dandelion jelly. That very afternoon, as I walked the dogs, I also collected dandelions . Later that evening I made jelly.
Another day I was walking Glory, when I noticed puff balls growing on the neighborhood school play field.
Growing on the field where children play every day meant many of them had been stepped on, there weren’t as many as it first appeared.
I only collected a small handful.
to put in an omelet. Mmmm, delicious!
Do you forage for food?
What do you find? (include where you live, please)
I’m looking forward to berry season when I can pick wild , Salmon and black berries and Oregon grape for more jams.
Great work on the dandelion jelly! What does it taste like?
We pick loads of blackberries for the freezer, ever August and September (PNW). I make jam, pies/turnovers, cobblers/crisps, pancake syrup, and use them in smoothies. A lot of folks in the PNW don’t care for these wild blackberries due to the large seeds. But our family doesn’t mind one bit! All the more berries left for us to pick. We pick on our own property, at the nearby elementary school, and at the public library. We are careful to ask around about whether or not chemical spraying takes place at the public locations. Otherwise, a good washing and pop them into plastic bags and containers for the freezer.
The great thing about blackberry season is that it comes late enough in the year that I can take a look at what I’m putting away from our garden and orchard and decide if we need lots and lots of blackberries or just some, to fill our needs for fruit in winter.
I haven’t eaten any of the jelly yet (except for licking the spoon). The recipe exactly filled my canning jars and once sealed I didn’t want to open one just for a taste.
What I can tell from the lick I did get is that it has a mild sweet flavor. The recipe I used says it has a mild honey flavor, which makes a lot of sense, since bees make their honey form flowers.
Thanks for commenting Lili, I too take advantage of our ubiquitous Himalayan Blackberries. I make jam and syrup but I do remove the seeds, occasionally I make a cobbler seeds and all.
I always pick at the park or school to get the cleanest berries. I see people picking on the roadside and think of all the exhaust and dirt they are ingesting with their berries.