Au Cas Où

I mentioned the other day our habit of having with us at all times an au cas où bag, foraging for the use of. At this time of year, this bag is a completely necessary accessory. Here’s my haul from last Thursday.

Here we are. Crab apples; cooking apples; windfall pears; red mirabelles. These have become crab apple and chilli jelly; cooked down with previously foraged then frozen blackberries; scrumped; mirabelle frangipane with a good number of them, then … not sure yet. We’ve made quite enough mirabelle jam, thank you.

This is the time of year for mushrooming, but we haven’t been lucky yet. Apart from the obvious field mushrooms (no pictures!) I’m only confident to look for football sized puffballs (which make, apart from other dishes, excellent steak substitutes) …

… and shaggy inkcaps, which need to come home quickly before they deliquesce into inky pools.

Here are some of the other regular finds: crab apples in the feature photo; mirabelles both yellow and red; blackberries; apples of all kinds.

Here’s some of the kitchen activity: Weighing, then straining the juices from simmered-down fruits.

… and some of the results:

In this case, the only photo I had to hand was of jars of marmalade (I even forage Seville oranges when we’re in Spain in winter), and gin which I have made in Seville orange, mulberry, sloe, and mirabelle varieties at different times.

Foraging is some of the best fun to be had in autumn. Just don’t forget your au cas où bag.

For Leanne’s Monochrome Madness.

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

64 thoughts on “Au Cas Où”

    1. Thanks Leanne. I have to say, I felt and feel quite unsure about these images. To me they tell a better tale in colour. And you know I’m a mono fan. You’re right to be wary of mushrooms. I am VERY careful, and only go for the extremely obvious.

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  5. Great photos. That and your story of foraging are fueling my curiosity and appetite very early in the morning. Sounds like a wonderful way to spend a morning or fall afternoon. Is there one time that’s better than the other?

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    1. For me, as a non-expert, autumn is definitely best. The expert forager does well in every season. If you get a chance, go out and see what you can find. Nuts are often a great place to start. Good luck!

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      1. I am finding walnuts all over the backyard and on the deck. The squirrels are out getting ready. I wonder if that means winter is going to be a beast. Next time I’m out I’ll be looking for nuts and I’ll have my bag.

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  6. I’m amazed at all you can find. Big murder case just ended over here when 3 members of a family were murdered using foraged deathcap mushrooms in a beef wellington dish. So be careful 🫢

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  7. I only forage for blackberries though there are loads of sloes around here, I just don’t like sloe gin. I admire all your activity. And although I love your black and white photos I’m sorry to say that these really do need to be in colour. All those jewel like shades are sorely missed.

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  11. Apart from blackberry picking I’ve never really done much foraging. Opportunities are limited in Ealing and we don’t tend to visit the country at the best time of year – also, I wouldn’t be sure what I was looking for! As for your choice of mono, as always I think there are pluses and minuses. The images do have a pleasing old fashioned look to them which fits the subject of your post, but on the other hand I’m sure the fruit looks wonderful in colour.

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  17. good for you! I always have an empty plastic bag with me for unplanned grocery shopping, wet umbrella to store away ‘en route’, or filling it with ‘over the fence unto the street’ flower and greenery gifts for my flower decorations…. used to go foraging too, but now I live in a more urban (if still somewhat quite rural and very beautiful) region.

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  18. Ah – now I have found out where you find your Seville oranges! As for mirabelles, I had not heard of them before reading your marmalade and jam post. So have just looked them up to find they are a type of plum.

    Congrats on knowing enough to forage fungi. Must be wonderful to forage such edible treasures.

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      1. That sounds amazing.
        I have only tasted wild mushrooms when with an expert – I don’t have the confidence to forage myself. The taste of the wild mushrooms was incredible. Domesticated commercially grown mushrooms just don’t compare.

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