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Fruit hanging into Towpath - who 'owns' the goodies?


Jennifer McM

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On 26/08/2019 at 14:59, Murflynn said:

it always amazes me that at the end of the school holidays the brambles are covered in fruit, but the little darlings can never be seen collecting blackberries and then taking them home to mum or selling them to the neighbours.  It's what I used to do.

 

I've not been down the Marple flight at this time of year recently but there used to be blackberries trailing all over, just below the bottom gates of most of the locks. Ideal for picking when waiting from the next lock to be readied by the crew, and not reachable without a boat!

On 05/09/2019 at 11:26, Hudds Lad said:

scrumping, if you don't get caught, it's yours

 

Scrumping is only the right word if it's apples, though (OK maybe pears too).

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On 05/09/2019 at 11:20, MartynG said:

 C&RT are encouraging blackberry picking. We had a nice crumble on Sunday with the fruit freshly picked . Apples too. All growing on C&RT land .

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-wildlife/wildlife-blogs-and-features/pick-your-own-blackberries

 

 

That settles it, the notice gives anyone a general permission to pick blackberries on CRT land, and would be a perfect defence in court if they then tried to prosecute anyone who took some. It doesn't mention other fruit, but it could be argued that it suggests you're welcome to the apples too. Me, I'm planning to pick some hawthorn berries off Mitcham Common this week to make apple and hawthorn jelly and do not fear legal action. I have a plentiful supply of apples overhanging my garden and permission from my neighbour to use them.

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6 minutes ago, The Welsh Cruiser said:

Being the owner of a kayak, fruit is much more easily gathered. I currently have maybe 20kg of apples, the tree was in a private garden, I took the fruits that were overhanging the canal. 

So, when it comes to fruit, you really can have your kayak and eat it. ;)

 

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On 06/09/2019 at 19:17, rusty69 said:

Mongrel huh! a mongrel....I'm a pedigree chum!(no,not like the dog food) You wound me sir! Pistols at dawn? Actually, can we make it 10.30, I like a lie in on a Saturday.

Now ladies, If you two can not apology to each other. Then Code Duello will apply, you now need to find your seconds. Tree Monkey has the choice of location and time under rule 17, Rusty69 has choice of distance. As to weapons, under the current laws pistols or swords are not permitted. Therefore you have the choice of Blackpuddings or Handbags.

Edited by nbfiresprite
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1 minute ago, nbfiresprite said:

Now ladies, If you two can not apology to each other. Then Code Duello will apply, you now need to find your seconds.

I already had my seconds after dinner. 

1 minute ago, nbfiresprite said:

Therefore you have the choice of Blackpuddings or Handbags.

How about blunder busses and balloons? 

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On 10/09/2019 at 12:43, Peter X said:

That settles it, the notice gives anyone a general permission to pick blackberries on CRT land, and would be a perfect defence in court if they then tried to prosecute anyone who took some. It doesn't mention other fruit, but it could be argued that it suggests you're welcome to the apples too. Me, I'm planning to pick some hawthorn berries off Mitcham Common this week to make apple and hawthorn jelly and do not fear legal action. I have a plentiful supply of apples overhanging my garden and permission from my neighbour to use them.

Recipe or it won’t happen

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  • 2 weeks later...

Didn't think it would turn out well, but I made some blackberry and sloe jam, and was impressed with 'mes elf'. (Equal weight of fruit to sugar - bought the sugar with pectin added ensuring success).

 

Didn't think the sloes would work, but they deliciously have!

 

 

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1 minute ago, rusty69 said:

Sloe gin or sloe vodka next? 

Gin/vodka doesn't need improving with sloes ?

 

Have a niece who for the past 10 years has given us a bottle of her home made sloe gin at Christmas, Haven't the heart to tell her we think it tastes like cough medicine ?

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4 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

I've never really understood the motivation for adding your own flavourings to gin or vodka -- you still have to buy the spirit in the first place.

 

 

("still" -- see what I did there?)

Because gin tastes like medicine and unless it's very expensive vodka the taste is just dull, sloe gin on the other hand is lush.

Well at least in my opinion but I'm just a knackered old monkey :)

6 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

Gin/vodka doesn't need improving with sloes ?

 

Have a niece who for the past 10 years has given us a bottle of her home made sloe gin at Christmas, Haven't the heart to tell her we think it tastes like cough medicine ?

Yes it does :)

and no it doesn't ;)

 

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2 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

Because gin tastes like medicine and unless it's very expensive vodka the taste is just dull, sloe gin on the other hand is lush.

Well at least in my opinion but I'm just a knackered old monkey

You shouldn't be drinking gin or vodka this time of day knackered old monkey..... Get on with fixing BSPs battery problem. Go on....... Get..... 

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3 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

You shouldn't be drinking gin or vodka this time of day knackered old monkey..... Get on with fixing BSPs battery problem. Go on....... Get..... 

Look you scruffy beagle, I am entitled to my morning nip, my mid morning pick me up, the afternoon snifter and the pre and post prandial glass

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On 11/09/2019 at 22:18, Dyertribe said:

Recipe or it won’t happen

It did happen, I picked a kilo or so of haws and made some jam, or technically a jelly because I strained it.

The recipe I follow is from "River Cottage Handbook No. 2, Preserves" by Pam Corbin, and titled "Hedgerow Jelly" because it uses crab apples and a mix of seasonal berries, all available in hedgerows at this time of year.

I don't want to type that in full here, because (1) that's a lot of typing and (2) it might be a breach of copyright.

But I can offer a summary of my adapted version:

 

The crab apples provide the necessary pectin, but other apples are fine; I keep the best ones off my neighbour's tree as eating apples and cook with the rest.

I used haws but you can use sloes, bullaces, hips, blackberries, elderberries or rowan berries too.

Cut any rotten bits out of the apples (I get lots, due to codling moth and woodlice) but beyond that just chop them and include any remaining skin and core to get more pectin, boil all the fruit in some water until soft, strain through muslin overnight, then measure the liquid back into the pan and get it boiling. Then for every 400ml of liquid you had add 300g of ordinary sugar, boil until it seems to be setting then put in sterilised jars.

Pam Corbin recommends using a proper preserving pan but I just use a 5 litre stainless steel stockpot, which I find takes 3kg of fruit.

 

Go for it, the long October evenings will just fly by!

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