jandy44

Morning guys,one of my many hobbies is foraging for fruit along the hedgerows of the very English country-side.
I pick blackberries,bilberrys,apples,plums,when they are in season,I was delighted this morning to come across a cherry tree laden with fruit,all just for the picking and for FREE, fresh and organic.
I tend to make pies and jam,a bit old fashioned,but there you go.

Does anyone know if there are fruits to pick from the wild in Spain,in particular around the Andalucia country-side.Im really going to miss this hobby if not...........

Lionda

Oh Jean you have just reminded me - last June we saw a group of mulberry trees (delicious fruit ) and said we would go back this year to pick the fruit. Think we will be making a trip out to the place next week

jandy44

I have not come across them before,have to google, are you coming over for a holiday then ??

Lionda

The trees are very knarled and ancient looking, the fruit is like a cross between strawberries and raspberries, large and red and very juicy, but with no seeds. In fact, when you pick them you have to be careful as they are soft fruit and the juice runs down your hand and arm so you look like you have had a terrrible accident wear plastic gloves.


We have seen the trees in England but the ones I am referring to are in Spain, Guadalest.

jandy44

Iv just googled and this is what I found :

Mulberry (Morus) is a genus of 10–16 species of deciduous trees native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and North America, with the majority of the species native to Asia.

The closely related genus Broussonetia is also commonly known as mulberry, notably the Paper Mulberry Broussonetia papyrifera.

Mulberries are fast-growing when young, but soon become slow-growing and rarely exceed 10-15 m tall. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, often lobed, more often lobed on juvenile shoots than on mature trees, and serrated on the margin. The fruit is a multiple fruit, 2-3 cm long. Mulberries begin as white to pale yellow with pink edges. They are red when ripening. A fully ripened mulberry is dark purple to black, edible, and sweet with a good flavor in several species

Im surprised you have found some here,Iv never seen them,I will look out for them in Spain,I will remember to take the gloves.......:thumb up:

Lionda

They really are delicious in a pie We lived on the south coast, can't remember seeing them in the north of England. It's warmer down south

Lionda

Just thought Jean - don't you mean whinberries - billberries is more of a southern name for them. We used to pick them every July back home - delicious!

rugbymatt

Jandy I buy a huge amount of books from these guys, they have loads of books on Spain, and I got 4 in yesterday about Spain, try them, the best advice I can give you is to get a really good reference book.

There are a few wild fruits out there, I will look some up and post them, but yeah, mulberries where you can find then, carob where it has escaped......

http://www.nhbs.com/

jandy44

Definitely bilberries, we go a drive into the Derbyshire dales for them,I used to pick them in abundance in Cheshire also......they make great jam

Lionda

Maybe whinberry is more of a Lancashire name for them. They are delicious - Ooohhh you've got my mouth watering now

jandy44

Thanks for the link,another in favorites.......Cheers

Bigbhudda69

Just down the road from you..oranges, lemons, nisperos ?, avocado's. pommegranets, they appear wild but watch out for the shotguns...!!

SueG

Question about fruit or not? Have seen a lot of trees near us which seem to have a fruit(?) which is reddish in colour and is prickly like a conker. Anyone any ideas what tree it is?

jandy44

Lol It would be just my luck,stuck up a tree with a bullet in my arse

Lionda

karma for that one Jean