Monday 25 August 2008

A beautiful bounty




Have you noticed all the wonderful signs of autumn appearing everywhere you look? Isabella and I took a walk in the lanes and fields above Falmouth Bay on a rather dull grey afternoon to see what could be foraged. Unfoprtunately this picture is all I have left to admire as my little one ate every single berry we picked - well, with just a little help from her mama of course.



I so love the rich colours of autumn fruit: the mix of glossy berries as the light glances off each perfect, tiny globe makes me almost sigh with the need to translate it somehow onto paper or fabric or any medium at all, hence the fact that my camera is rarely away from my side. The following weeks will see me scribbling ideas into my notebook like a squirrel foraging its bounty away for a time of less colour and overburdened hedgerows, and when the light becomes that leaden tone of deepest winter I shall at least have these to cheer me until the spring arrives once more.



All this fruitfulness also heralds the start of wine making in the Poltiskofarm household with bowls full of blackberries, rosehips and sloes lined up on the worktops waiting to be turned into sloe gin or wine or cordials. The children are all past masters at knowing which fruits are worth the picking and how to judge the best time for gathering sloes (we don't wait for frost in Cornwall as it is too mild and the birds will have had the lot by the end of September). They also know how important it is not to strip plants bare, understanding that wildlife benefit from these important crops too.



We are lucky in that all the children from 25 year old Tom who really can hardly be called a child to 2 year old Isabella have a real love of this time of gathering, and quite willingly join in on the walks and the subsequent frenzy of making that inevitably follows. I love seeing them all sitting around the kitchen table pricking the hard, dusky sloes before bottling them with gin and sugar for one of the best drinks of all.



All our apple trees have done well this year and will provide the basis for crumbles and tarte tatin with its gloriously sticky, buttery juices...mmm. Yes, all we need is a little (!) sun to help things along with that beautiful, mellow autumn light and I will be a happy Pip sewing away a little autumn goodness of my own with a glass of the good stuff keeping me company.

20 comments:

  1. what a wonderful love of simple pleasures you are giving to your children. A lovely poetic description of your days gathering and beautifully written as always.
    warm, mellow wishes to you Pipany.
    xx

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  2. Gorgeous. You've got me rather excited about autumn now, rather than slightly gloomy that we've bypassed summer somewhat. We gathered bullaces the other day - there are benefits to the approach of autumn after all.

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  3. We're on the cusp alright - I'm just about to blog on myt foodie one about the last of summer / first of autumn feast we had yesterday. A bittersweet time.

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  4. Lovely pictures. Is it my imagination or are blackberries getting earlier each year?. I made my first blackberry pie in July this year.

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  5. Hi Pipany

    Saw some lovely sloes on the path from Cowlands to Coombe yesterday. I know you walk that way aswell.

    Pippa.

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  6. An inspiring post as ever Pipany. We are behind you of course so cannot go picking yet.

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  7. Hi Pipany, Beautiful photos as always. I love apple trees, they remind me of a dear Uncle who owned an Orchard and we spent many, many a happy days playing in it as children and later, as adults we'd walk around and marvel at all the different varietes.
    Autumn is my favourite time of year, always has been. It's a shame that the Horse Chestnuts seem to have some horrible disease which has made them go all manky and rusty looking.
    x

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  8. I love autumn--definitely my favorite season--although it always makes me a bit homesick for New England.

    I wish we had such wonderful foraging opportunities here in the London suburbs. But we are quite lucky in having the remains of an old apple orchard on our development--I can't wait to start picking!

    K x

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  9. You had me drooling by the end of the post. Tarte Tatin - oddly enough I'd just pulled out the recipe today.
    Lovely post!

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  10. Lovely post Pipany, you're a bit further on than us up here, Sloe berry picking is in the October holidays for us!

    Our plum tree has fruited for the first year, so like you, I'm willing a bit more sunshine to ripen up all those lovely jewels hanging on the branches!

    L x

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  11. Lovely post Pipany, you're a bit further on than us up here, Sloe berry picking is in the October holidays for us!

    Our plum tree has fruited for the first year, so like you, I'm willing a bit more sunshine to ripen up all those lovely jewels hanging on the branches!

    L x

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  12. Lovely post Pipany, you're a bit further on than us up here, Sloe berry picking is in the October holidays for us!

    Our plum tree has fruited for the first year, so like you, I'm willing a bit more sunshine to ripen up all those lovely jewels hanging on the branches!

    L x

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  13. sorry, blogger posted that 3 times for some reason!!

    L x

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  14. we've been looking at rosehips and berries too - there also seem to be lots of fungi about - much more than usual - not sure which ones are edible though so am leaving well alone just in case :-)
    lisa x

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  15. Hi Pipany. We've been picking blackberries this afternoon. It seems like it's going to be a good year.
    I've tagged you in My Tree of Happiness, over on my blog if you'd like to play.

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  16. Can I just say, Pipany - you take such awsome pictures - they really are quite beautiful.

    Happy autumn

    xx

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  17. Beautiful evocative post....I've never made sloe gin, but the intention is there for this season! How lovely you all go gathering the fruits of autumn together. Pip, I LOVE your new bag...had very little computer time this last week, so just catching up. Can we have a new autumn recipe on your website? (hint!!) xx

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  18. I am a new blogger and have to say how much I enjoyed your blog , fantastic photography makes me feel differently about autumn.
    Jan

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  19. Have just read both your recent entries and was struck by the contrast between them - as we move from summer into autumn. As Susan Hill puts it, "the year has turned again" Sloe gin - ha! Now there's a headache inducer - seems so innocent, but what a kick.

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  20. Oh what a gorgeous post Pipany! I love hips and haws and get all over excited when the trees start to turn red with berries. I've been reading Susan Hill's The Magic Apple Tree again and her section on auutmn is just beautiful - I agree with her so much that autumn is a season that rarely disappoints. Roll on September I say so we can enjoy our walks to school looking at all the wonderful changes day by day. Very pleased I'm not the only one who loves this time of year.
    Have a smashing weekend.
    Stephx

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