Now Forage

Black elderberry: Clusters of deep purple-black berries; cut entire clusters. Never eat raw — cook thoroughly (destroys sambunigrin). Ripe when all berries on the cluster are uniformly dark and the cluster droops. High in antioxidants; excellent syrup.

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.

Blackthorn: Sloe berries: small, round, blue-black with a heavy bloom. Intensely astringent raw — traditionally harvested after the first frost, which breaks down tannins. Best used for sloe gin or jelly. Spiny branches — wear gloves when harvesting.

Hawthorn: Deep red haws (berries) develop from green. Ripe when dark red and slightly soft. Edible raw but mealy — better for haw jelly, syrup, or wine. Contains a large stone. Improve after first frost.