Now Forage

Mastic tree: Small, round berries turn from red to black when ripe. Edible but bitter. The resin from the trunk is the valuable product — prized in Greek cooking and cosmetics. Score bark in late summer to collect resin tears.

Pear: Unlike apples, pears ripen from the inside out. Harvest when the skin colour lightens and the fruit separates with a gentle upward twist. Ripen off the tree at room temperature — leave on a counter until the neck yields to thumb pressure.