Autumnal Fruit Picking and Foraging

Following the clement, mild weather in late spring and the warm sun in early summer this year, fruit farmers across the country are reporting bountiful harvests of orchard fruit, namely apples. Anticipated as the best harvest in 2 years, apples are appearing on supermarket shelves approximately 3 weeks earlier than usual.

[breakout title="Anna Rose" align="right"]As a vegetarian of 22 years, Anna is keen to share her recipes, and food tips and news. She also writes the blog Word in Veg Ways.[/breakout]

Industry experts are predicting that crops will boast great crunchiness, be of good ample size and will possess a pleasant taste and texture stemming from the good weather that has helped to nurture the fruit.

Once reserved for school harvest festivals and for those who dabbled in a little home cider making, now autumnal apples are once again en vogue. They're being used more in cooking, with shows such as The Great British Bake Off encouraging everyone to bake, make puddings and go back to basics by creating your own sauces, all of which, apples lend themselves well to.

A desire to be more environmentally sustainable and championing local businesses means that a lot of people are purchasing goods produced nearer to home, from outlets such as farmers markets or indeed taking things one step further and learning to forage.

The art of foraging has always been around with it once being the human race's main survival technique, but it has somewhat dwindled over the years as modern convenience methods have supplied our demand for anything we want. But enjoying somewhat of a renaissance, foraging is now a popular pursuit and a pastime. The caveats around foraging is that it must be done on public land as opposed to private property, as well as ensuring what you pick is suitable for human consumption and that it is thoroughly washed and cleaning prior to eating/cooking.

The obvious choice for foraging and almost a beginner's introduction to it is blackberry picking which is currently in its seasonal peak. The beauty of blackberry picking, as one of nature's freebies, is that they grow wildly almost anywhere – parks, hedgerows, canal towpaths - which makes them very accessible. The produce is the perfect ingredient for jams, crumbles, cakes or just to eat solely with a sprinkling of sugar. Once you get the bug for foraging, you can expand your searches to include wood sorrel or wild garlic when in season, and in recent years ingredients such as these have gained popularity and status on fine dining menus.

Foraging courses have become popular and are held at many locations including National Trust properties. With many National Trust venues spanning the West Midlands and Shropshire borders, it is worth exploring what is available in the area.

If fruit picking is more appealing than foraging, there are many Pick Your Own (PYO) farms that at this time of year have apples, plums and pears available and you only pay for what you've picked. This not only gets you close to the source, but echoes earlier statements of supporting local businesses and the environment. As well as a destination for family excursions, this also provides an educational angle for children to understand how fruit is grown and harvested. The internet provides many suggestions of where to go, including Essington Fruit Farm in Wolverhampton who provide a PYO facility and frequently hold special events.

As the good weather continues to shine through September, visits to PYO venues or taking foraging walks near to home make great days out. Appreciating the abundant fruit harvest this year, by embracing it, we can take advantage of what we have on our doorsteps rather than what is imported from abroad.