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.

Cherry: Deep red and glossy; stem pulls cleanly. Taste is the best test — sweet and juicy when ripe, still astringent if picked too early.

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.

Fig: Hangs heavily and droops at the neck; skin softens and may split. A sweet drop of nectar at the base eye and the absence of white sap at the stem confirm ripeness. Pick with a gentle twist.

Gooseberry: Unripe: small, hard, very tart (good for cooking). Ripe: translucent, slightly soft, and sweet — variety colour is red, yellow, or green. Ripe gooseberries come off the stalk easily and have a sweet aroma.

Grape: Berries fully coloured and slightly soft. Stem where it joins the bunch turns woody and brown. Seeds easily visible inside. Sweet throughout when fully ripe — taste from different parts of the cluster as they ripen unevenly. Grapes do not continue ripening after harvest.

Peach: Background skin colour shifts from green to yellow; red blush is variety-dependent and not a reliable indicator. Fruit yields to gentle pressure near the stem end. Fragrant aroma at the base. Harvest when it detaches with a slight twist — no tugging needed.

Pinyon pine: Cones turn from green to yellow-brown and open in September–October. Seeds (pine nuts) are large, cream-coloured, and sweet. Collect cones before fully open or shake seeds out onto a tarp. Sun-dry briefly before shelling.

Quince: Yellow, fragrant, and very hard when ripe — not soft like apples. Look for a deep golden-yellow colour and a strong quince aroma. Inedible raw (very astringent); excellent for jam, paste, and jelly after cooking.

Stinging nettle: Harvest only the top 4–6 young leaves in spring before flowering. Use gloves — sting disappears completely on cooking. Blanch, steam, or make into soup. Do not eat once plant flowers (gets gritty). Highly nutritious — rich in iron and vitamins.