Louisa Pearson: Foraged food is not only free – with no air miles or carbon footprint to feel guilty about, it scores high on ethical points too

Published on Friday 23 October 2009 15:45

THESE are definitely chanterelles," said my foraging companion, peering down at the egg-yolk-yellow mushrooms that covered the woodland floor all around us. "Hmmm," said I, peering into the depths of the Collins Gem mushroom guide. "Or might they be false chanterelles? Would you say they smell of apricots?"

There are few things more enjoyable than an afternoon spent foraging for edible funghi. Encouraged by a whiff of apricots and feeling safe in the knowledge that false chanterelles are only mildly poisonous (there's a minor chance they'll cause hallucinations), we picked a batch and lived to tell the tale.

Who can resist the thought of getting food for free? It doesn't involve air miles, oil-derived fertilisers, plastic packaging or any of those other things that makes modern dining so guilt-ridden. Earlier this year, the Scottish Wild Harvest Association (www.scottishwildharvests.org.uk) was launched, and the whole idea of foraging has caught the public imagination. One small problem: unlike in Sweden, where school children are taken on foraging field trips as part of the curriculum, two generations of Scots lack the plant identification skills their grannies would have taken for granted.

But things are changing. As far back as 2003, a survey by TNS Global reported that 24 per cent of the Scottish population had collected non-timber forest products in the previous five years. A more recent Forestry Commission report reinforced this finding. Topping the list of plants collected was brambles, followed by raspberries, blackberries, elderberries and elderflowers (these, at least, are easy to identify). Sloes, rowan berries, rosehips, nettles and hazelnuts completed the top ten. In the funghi stakes, chanterelles came top, followed by boletes and field mushrooms.

Just the other day, I was driving to work and saw a man armed with a rake and a carrier bag, wrestling with a blackthorn bush by the side of the road. Personally I'd have been worried about my sloe gin having a faint tang of car exhaust, but perhaps that just adds to the depth of flavour.

This autumn, I've decided the time has come to invest in some muslin and a jam thermometer. Friends and family will no doubt be delighted to receive home-made damson jam for Christmas. The people I really like will be getting sloe gin.

In an attempt to expand my repertoire, I have been delving into Richard Mabey's Food for Free. Seeing as every hedge for miles around is covered in hawthorn berries, I thought that might as well be my first stop. I tried a few raw – pretty tasteless, but not unpleasant, and seemingly the jelly will go well with cream cheese.

The best resource I've found on foraging in Scotland is www.forestharvest.org.uk. A Reforesting Scotland project, this website provides an excellent overview on how to gather sustainably – and legally – as well as providing background on the different plants and animals you can hunt for through the seasons. Highlights for autumn include beechnuts, ceps and, er, grey squirrels ("soaking the meat in cold water before cooking can reduce the 'gamey' flavour, if so desired").

The Forest Harvests project alerted me to a curious website, www.forage.rs, which lets people map their favourite local foraging sites. If you want to know the location of free apples in the Edinburgh area, this is the place to find out. Despite being impressed by the generosity of the site, I've always thought that one of the key principles of foraging is never to divulge the locations of your best bounty. My chanterelles won't be going online any time soon.

This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday on 25 October 2009