Ditto,
It’s a nice little compact volume to carry around.
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Sounds good - I might get that! My books are all a bit larger than pocketsize. A recent one I bought is called “Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland” by Robin Harford. It’s interesting info, no pics though so its not like you could take it with you and compare what you find with what’s in the book.
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Doh! I wouldn’t eat nettles!This is the offical opinion.
Blackberry impacts the environment and agriculture . Blackberry forms dense thickets that exclude native species, leading to its complete dominance of the vegetation understorey and eventually the canopy
Not that I agree with it.
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I’m glad you don’t agree with it 
My large spidery dense blackberry bush is a haven for all manner of little creatures, so I won’t be cutting it totally down. Plus it has wild roses growing through it, which were so pretty when they bloomed.
However, I can see how it can take over a place, I’m finding random branches winding up my pipes. 
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Blackberry picking again today!
It’s quite late in the year but I’m going to attempt cutting and processing bramble fibres and dry them for wetting and twisting into cordage at a later date.
There’s a lady on you tube, Sally Pointer who’s posted a few interesting videos including making cordage.
I’ve never tried this before but it’s worth a go.
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The crab apples are beginning to ripen as are the haws although it doesn’t look like a bumper crop this year, probably due to the dry weather.
I’m not anticipating much of a fungi season either more’s the pity!
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Lots of Rowan Berries as well!
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It will soon be Mushroom gathering time - if they have survived the drought - I love Shaggy Inkcaps!
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Blackberries here soon I hope,I see a few have ripened, in the field near my house, depending how much I harvest, I would like to make a blackberry and apple pie.
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I can remember my Dad many years ago went mushroom picking…I’d be worried I picked the poisonous ones, how can you tell the difference,ST?.
Years of foraging with my Grandma in school holidays. She made all her own medicines/cosmetics etc., and passed her knowledge on to me. When she died - my lovely Auntie continued my eduction.
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I had a lot of elder berries in my garden and considered making wine but today I saw a rather tipsy looking pigeon eating them .
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Shaggy Inkcaps are supposed to make a really decent soup if you can find enough. I’ve tried frying them but they just tend to disintegrate in the pan , it could just be me being heavy handed, they really are fragile. How do you cook yours Silver Tabby?
The recent rains have meant a bumper harvest of Death Cap Mushrooms for those who want a kidney transplant or a quick exit before their wedding anniversary.
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Oh yes!
That’s a must to be able to identify. Once ingested there is no antidote, the toxins can’t be excreted from from the body.
Not so sure about a quick exit though Bruce, slow and very unpleasant I believe although I’ve no intention of finding out for myself 
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I only pick them when they are very young - and use them the same day. They do not keep. They are very tasty in soup - not yet managed to find enough to make it an exclusive - but have added them to ordinary mushroom soup - yummy.
I have also fried them with bacon - but they need to be really fresh to do that successfullly - definitely worth the effort though.
Thing to remember about them is - you must not drink alcohol for about 36 - 48 hours after eating them or you will be very very sick!
Yep,
I’ve only picked them when they are young and resembling closed umbrellas and as you say used them very quickly.
I think it’s The Common Inkcap that causes problems with alcohol however.
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Being red/green colourblond has always deterred me from foraging. Are any of you also colourblond but forage anyway?
@Chilliboot - they both do. If you want proof - try drinking lager with a bacon and inkcap sarnie! Not nice!
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Sure it wasn’t the bacon?
This is bugging me now, I’ll have to do a little reading up when I get back from the shops.
It does illustrate the point about being spot on with fungi though doesn’t it?
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