Now Forage

Blackberry: Fully black (not red or dark red) and comes off the stem with no resistance — zero pull. Dull rather than shiny; a shiny black berry is still slightly underripe and tart. Eat the same day for best flavour.

Blackcurrant: Fully black, glossy berries hanging in strigs. Ripe when all berries on the strig are black. Tart but intensely flavoured — leave a few extra days for sweetness. Best for juice, jam, and cordial.

Currant: Red: translucent, jewel-like clusters. White: pale cream. Both are ripe when fully coloured and hang as a bunch. Tart and high in pectin — best for jelly and summer pudding. Harvest the whole strig.

Dog rose: Oval, bright red to orange-red hips. Ripe when uniformly red and slightly soft. Excellent for rosehip syrup. Always remove the irritating inner seeds.

Lavender: Harvest flower spikes when about half the flowers on the spike have opened — maximum oil content. Cut stems long, in the morning. Dry in small bunches upside down in a warm, airy space. Use in baking, tea, and herbal remedies.

Mint: Harvest leaves just before flowering for peak flavour. Cut stems back by a third regularly to encourage bushy growth. Flavour declines after flowering — cut flower spikes off to extend harvest.

Red raspberry: Bright red and detaches from the core plug with no resistance. Fragrant and very soft when ripe. Autumn-fruiting varieties produce a second flush in September–October.

Rosemary: Evergreen herb — harvest sprigs year-round. Young, bright green shoot tips have the most flavour. Harvest in the morning after dew dries. Flowers (blue-purple) appear spring through early summer and are edible as a garnish.

Serviceberry: Small, round, turning from red to deep purple-black. Sweet and blueberry-like when fully dark. Birds eat them as soon as they ripen — check daily. Best fresh or in pies and jam.