Ive never seen the kids move so quick, waterproofs and wellies on in record time all with the promise of home made cakes when we get home with our hand made jam, they knew the drill so off we went.
Near our house we start off at the top of a massive stretch of nothing but black berry's to pick, the kids are all raring to go to see who collects the most and is crowned the winner, this starts off very exciting for the three eldest, the new baby snoozing in the pram is none the wiser and quite frankly couldn't care less.
As we get about twenty minutes into our walk our eldest suddenly has the most painful feet known to man and cant possibly walk any faster than the snail who has just raced past him, he also looses all mobility in his hands, so blackberry picking becomes impossible for an 11 year old with hands that will clearly need amputating when we get home.
Our four year old finds the whole experience super exciting!!! the dog walkers with their "cute puppies", the "fishies" in the water and the men with "the fish sticks", I on the other hand was a nervous wreck as a Labrador came hurtling towards us, the fact he kept running at the waters edge every 30 seconds disturbing the men fishing, then suddenly when he realised that "doggies poop and wee" on the bushes where the blackberry's were growing, he decided he was no longer going to touch any bushes or berries and much like his older brother threw in the towel.
Our eight year old who is the only girl in the family looked on rolling her eyes, she took everything in her stride, getting stuck in, she wasn't bothered at all about getting in the bushes, spiders and creepy crawlies, or the fact her clothes were covered in berry juice, she was thrilled to bits filling bag after bag of berry's. Her favourite thing to do is cooking, she loved the idea of not only finding her food but being able to pick it, prepare it and eventually cook and eat it.
After a good few mile walk, we were all shattered and decided to head home, the basket on the pram was ready to burst the amount of berry's we had. Our work started when we got home myself and my daughter started to wash all our fruit and prepare it for it to be boiled in a massive pan, we part boiled it then began to add sugar to sweeten it up, we strained away the bulk of the pips and it was ready to go. We split the contents of the pan into individual jars ready to hand them out to family and friends, as well as for the Victoria sponge baking away in the oven.
While the day was eventful for us all and at times a bit stressful for me and the Mrs, it was a day that got us out of the house and out in the wilderness, we gave the kids an inkling into becoming self sufficient, and while it was hard work at times, it was also very rewarding (nothing better than a nice slice of cake and a hot brew). As I explained to the kids while it was cold and wet and our feet hurt, we had an item that we made ourselves,while it is easier to go to the shops and line someone else's pockets with food that tastes nowhere near as good as home made, it is far more rewarding and healthier to make your food straight from the land.
As a bush crafter and survival instructor I run courses where by I teach people to forage the land finding ingredients to make their own fires, cooking equipment and food, giving our bodies the purest of foods that will leave you satisfied not only in taste but in the fact you made it all yourself. Feel free to visit my website to see my available courses and equipment in my online store www.basicbushcraft.net
hopefully we will see you soon, best of luck with your little foragers this season
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