Foraging for food is like a treasure hunt for all ages. Sometimes you find a real treasure.
A few weeks back I went on a walk in the hopes to find more food to forage. During that walk I found some mushrooms, some acorns and lo and behold, an apple tree. The apples were looking a bit worse for wear, but I decided to pick the best looking ones anyway. At one point I had to jump quite high to be able to get them down, but it was worth it. In retrospect, I should’ve brought my apple picker, but I made it work.
I picked a bag full of apples and went back home to check them out. While the outside wasn’t very pretty, it really was just the peel that wasn’t looking right. Inside they were in better condition than many store bought apples. So I decided to go back and pick more. I ended up picking about one and a half kilogram in total. Of course the weight was somewhat less after I peeled and cored them, but all and all it was a good amount.
Autumn to do’s
You see, every autumn I make apple preserves for the year ahead. I make apple cider vinegar, apple sauce and sometimes I can apple wedges as well. Only this year, it wasn’t a great apple season. Those who usually give me a few kilograms worth of apples from their trees barely received any from their trees this year. At most they had enough for a few apple pies for their own families. I didn’t want to have to pay for apples, not when I knew there are so many that are getting tossed or that are growing wild in nature.
With these apples that I found, I decided to make apple cider vinegar. Out of all of my apple preserves, that’s the one that I need the most. I use ACV for everything at this point. Cleaning, laundry, hair wash, to sterilise kitchen items, pickling – you name it. That’s why I need to make sure I have enough. I keep my ACV in plastic (food grade) jugs and I generally make sure I have 5 litres each year.
So I got some apple cider vinegar started and it got going fast. After the first three litres, I realised only a few of the apples were spent. Most of them were good enough to make another batch with. And so I did. Now I have made over six litres of ACV and I have a third batch going with the same apples. From finding those unappetising apples on a nature walk, I have gotten so much ACV that I’ll have enough for at least two years and then some. It looks like I’ll be able to fill at least another 5 L jug, and that’s amazing. Organic apple cider vinegar costs about 65 kr per 500ml here, if you get a good bargain. Going by that price, I got 1300 sek worth of ACV for free.
The wonders of foraging
This is what foraging can do for you. With a little effort, and some time spent in nature – which is good for you anyway – you can get free food and lower your annual and on-going expenses.
Apart from the apples, I have found elder berries, rose hips, acorns, various “weeds”, and chanterelles in nature this year. As well as some other mushroom varieties. I have also picked several kilograms worth of blueberries, all wild in a nearby forest area. I have frozen a lot of them for smoothies, and I have made a lot of blueberry jam as well. I may make some berry leather too as a treat for the holidays.
Nature provides for all of us. All we have to do is let her.
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