Fruit foraging walks around Millmoor Common

Two guided walks took place on Sunday 26th September, finding out about some wild local fruit, how and where to harvest it and how to use it. The walks were led by Mary Tobin (@marymakesjam) , as part of her Jammin project (http://jammin528558533.wordpress.com), making preserves from foraged and surplus fruit in aid of local charities. The walks were fundraising events for York Road Project (http://www.yorkroadproject.org.uk), now in its 20th year as a registered charity, defeating homelessness together in the local community. Attendees got to take home some jam tasters, made wih locally foraged/surplus fruit.

Spotted on the walk were apple, blackberry, elderberry, hawthorn berry/haw, rosehip, rowan and sloe. This inspired some lively discussion about how to use this wild harvest. Attendees shared information about other locations in Woking where these and other wild fruit could be found.

The conversation broadened to other fruit and vegetables that are available at the moment, especially gluts of home-grown fruit and vegetables that could be shared in the community. Woking Foodbank(http://woking.foodbank.org.uk) and the Knaphill Community Fridge (http://htandstschurch.org/knaphill-community-fridge) are but two local groups happy to receive such surplus and put it to good use.